Satanist takes blame for deaths
2009-05-13 14:16
Thandy Ndlovu & Elvis Mashele
Bushbuckridge - A 15-year-old girl claims to be a Satanist responsible for the deaths of 23 forestry workers in Mpumalanga.
The teenager told a community meeting on Saturday that she, as well as a school principal and some residents of Shatale village, were all Satanists who caused two trucks to collide on the R40 between Bushbuckridge and Dwarsloop in November last year.
She told the meeting that she had performed a ritual on the roadside to cause the accident, killing forestry workers who had been on their way to work.
"After the accident we went to the scene and drank the fresh blood without anyone noticing," she said.
She said she was tired of killing innocent people and had decided to confess and get help before she ended up killing her cousin.
"I stole my cousin's cellphone and threw it into a bucket full of water because the group wanted to use the phone to kill her," she said.
Principal implicated
She said after she threw the phone into the bucket, she told her cousin about her crimes and asked her to help her.
Her cousin immediately organised the community meeting on Saturday.
When residents heard the girl's confession, they called the police.
"We have sent some of the people she accused to a place of safety as we fear the community might believe the girl's accusations and attack them," said Bushbuckridge police spokesperson Captain Raymond Maseko.
He said other people implicated in the accident had already packed their belongings and left the area.
He said police would meet with pupils from the high school who threatened to boycott the school if the principal was not removed from his position.
More community meetings were held on Monday and Tuesday to keep people calm.
"We want to find a solution to the problem before anyone gets hurts or is killed," said Maseko.
He said the community must not act on the allegations of one girl who might be mentally ill.
He said she had been sent for psychiatric observation.