Four men jailed for killing old woman suspected of witchcraft

The Eastern Cape High Court has found four men guilty of killing a 92-year old woman they accused of witchcraft.

The accused – Mzubongile Manundu, Sithembiso Yalwa, Siyabulela Manundu and Mlungisi Manundu, aged between 34 and 52 – were sentenced to 20 years for the murder and an additional two years on a charge of imputing witchcraft.

Their co-accused, 41-year-old Nkosiyoxolo Velemani, was convicted on charges of imputing witchcraft and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was handed a two-year and five-year jail terms, respectively.

The court suspended two years from Velemani’s sentence, effectively sending him to jail for five years.

The regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Luxolo Tyali, said: “There was a funeral at Majuba village of Samkelo Manundu, who was stabbed to death. There was a cleansing ceremony the following day and the accused went to the home of the deceased, Nosayinethe Manundu, and demanded that she produce Samkelo, whom they believed was still alive and kept by the deceased in a trunk at her residence.

“They stripped the elderly woman naked, assaulted and pushed her into her rondavel. They closed the door and set the house on fire from outside. The hut was engulfed in flames and the old lady managed to escape, but the men caught up with her.”

Tyali explained that the accused later drowned the old woman in a drum full of water while the community cheered them on. All the convicted men are related to the deceased.

Tyali added that the judge regarded the men’s subjective belief in witchcraft as a mitigating factor compelling a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

Eastern Cape director of public prosecutions Barry Madolo said the lengthy prison terms will serve as a deterrent to other communities from harming elderly people they suspect of witchcraft, a rife occurrence in rural Eastern Cape.

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