Sometimes things that happen in Ladysmith are truly stranger than fiction. Some four years ago, our journalists were confronted with a rather unusual story.

Number one on our Freak-o-meter

Is the story about a Mermaid

1) The case of the killer mermaid

A young woman living near Ladysmith spotted a blonde mermaid struggling to get back into a nearby river. Young boys in the area were throwing stones at the blonde mermaid, who was described as being about a metre tall.

A woman from Waaihoek outside Ladysmith claims she saw a mermaid and not only that, she also saved its life. Fisani Duma shared her encounter with what is believed to be a mythical creature with the Ladysmith Gazette. At least one of the young children who threw stones at the mermaid drowned in the river several days later.

Fact or Fiction?

FACT

Read the full mermaid story HERE

2) The haunting of General White’s house

As you travel down Poort Road, you will see General White’s old headquarters during the Siege of Ladysmith. Soldiers would be scurrying to-and-fro from the house all day during the Siege, which lasted 120 days. The house is connected to many stories of unexplained footsteps, doors opening and closing, and the sound of galloping horses at night. We, however, could find no hard evidence that anything freaky has been reported there in recent years. But some of the town’s older citizens still give the place a wide berth at night.

Fact or Fiction?

FICTION

3/4) The occult in Ladysmith

The old brickyards on the outskirts of town have long been fabled to have been a meeting place for Satanists. Scratching among the archives of the Ladysmith Gazette, there definitely is a link between the brickyard and the occult… With a young Ladysmith Gazette journalist documenting occultist signs, writing and other paraphernalia, including animal sacrifices at the site dating back to 1992.

No one was ever linked to the Brickyard Coven.

Another disturbing act of occultism was the beheading of a large Alsatian dog in the town’s storm water drains in Ruby Gailey Drive less than 10 years ago. Police found the dog hanging from a rope, its head missing, apparently killed with a sword.

The sight was very disturbing… The dog had been alive when it had its head chopped off. Satanist paraphernalia was found near the strung-up dog. Police never identified any suspects in the case or recovered the dog’s head.

The incident remains unsolved to this day.

Fact or Fiction?

FACT

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