A Greytown family was attacked by a vigilante mob that allegedly included women and children, resulting in the death of two women while the rest of the family is hiding out of fear for their lives. The group accused the family of witchcraft.

Fikile Msimango (65) and her daughter, Nkosi (28), were allegedly beaten up with sticks, a hammer, stones and bottles before they were set alight by a group of residents from Matimatolo.

According to a family member of the victims, she and five children, aged between one and 15, survived the ordeal. They are currently hiding at different places because they are terrified that they will also be killed if they are found.

She said they lost everything when their house was burnt down and the children have not been attending school.

“When the mob entered the house we all ran into one of the bedrooms with the children, but they managed to break in. They beat us all up including the children, throwing stones and bottles at us. I can still hear the children’s cries asking for forgiveness for my grandmother.”

She said after numerous pleas, the mob eventually spared the children’s lives and that’s when she also managed to escape through a window and ran away with the children.

“Before we ran away, I watched women in our community pushing my grandmother into a bed with flames of fire chanting that she was a witch and must die. By that time my aunt had run away, but when my grandmother was burning inside the house, they searched for her.”

She described how the mob tortured her aunt, before throwing her back into the burning house through a broken window.

Two of the children who survived were her aunt’s and they watched their mother being assaulted.

“The whole thing started with a man from the community who walked into the yard and attacked our dogs. My grandmother’s crime was to ask what he was doing. He called her a witch and other neighbours joined in until there was a large group.”

She said the investigating officer told them a few people have been arrested and she hopes everyone involved will face justice.

Ward councillor Zwakushiwo Zondi says he is appalled by the residents’ actions.

“What happened to the family is terrible. I do not understand how one can accuse someone of witchcraft to the point of killing them without proof. My heart was broken when I heard about this and I was more shocked when I saw none of the neighbours at the scene,” says Zondi.

He says the conflict between the Msimango family, and some residents was reported to the local traditional council.

Zondi says that he will meeting with the local Induna to ask them to prioritise cases such as these once they have been reported, to curb such violence.

The councillor called on the police to arrest everyone who was involved in the brutal murder of the women.

The spokesperson for the Department of Social Development, Mhlaba Memela, says it is concerning to know that some communities still believe the ‘witchcraft myth’, even though the department was trying to educate residents.

“We want to work together with the community in protecting the rights of others. It is very painful that they killed the grandmother and her daughter in this manner. We urge communities to stop killing elderly people believing they are witches.”

He adds the department will ensure that the affected children receive psycho-social support and that they go back to school.

KZN police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo says police at Ematimatolo are investigating cases of murder.

According to her, the two women were sleeping at their home when the fire started.