Suspected witch hacked to death

Suspicions of witchcraft may have led to the slaughter of a woman whose hacked remains were discovered in an open field recently.

Sibongile Dlamini had been missing for several days before her body was found. Her neighbours insisted that she was a witch and claimed that they had observed turning her dogs into baboons.

On October 22, oSizweni police contacted the SPCA after receiving complaints that Ms Dlamini had abandoned her pets at her place of residence and fled.

SPCA inspector, Elize van Rooyen, who did an inspection of the single room house, said she was sickened by the squalid conditions and the fetid stench coming from the carcass of a dog that had been left to die.

“There was thick ash in the centre of the room, where it was clear that someone had been lighting a fire, and there was a blanket on the floor where it looks like someone may have slept. Besides that, the room was bare. We found a male dog, a female dog and three puppies alive inside, together with the one dog that had died. The dogs had no way out of the house and no food or water,” said Mrs van Rooyen.

She left food and water for the animals and attached a notice to the door of the residence informing the pet owner that the animals would be confiscated if she failed to contact the SPCA or the SAPS within 24 hours.

“Nobody came forward so we went back to confiscate the dogs. Just after I arrived, a number of people appeared in the street, saying that the woman who owned the dogs was a witch and that her baboons were also on the property, but we didn’t find any baboons,” Elize continued.

After seven days all of the dogs had to be put down as they were in an atrociously bad condition.

Days later, Sibongile Dlamini’s body was discovered. She had been hacked to death with a panga.

Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Simon Luthuli, said that some people believed that women who lived alone were witches.“People who suspect witchcraft must avoid adopting a mob psychology and taking matters into their own hands. If people do suspect someone of being a witch, they should approach counsellors, or traditional healers,” advised Officer Luthuli. “Instead of wasting energy killing honest old women, people should use that energy and assist the police in combating real crime.”