A family in Greytown, in the Midlands of KwaZulu Natal, is in hiding after an elderly woman and her daughter were beaten up with different objects before being set alight in broad daylight. The two were accused of bewitching people in the area.

According to a community member who spoke on condition of anonymity, the attack allegedly resulted in the death of the two women, Fikile Msimango (65) and her daughter, Nkosi Msimango (28), while the rest of the family members including three kids, went into hiding as they feared for their lives. It is alleged that after Nkosi was brutally murdered, she was hanged using a razor wire on a tree, before setting her alight as the community watched. According to a family member of the victims, she and five children, aged between one and 15 years, 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.

The relative said that when the mob entered the house last week Tuesday, they all ran into one of the bedrooms with the children, but the angry mob 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 screams asking for forgiveness for my grandmother," she said, adding that 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. 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, watched as their mother was being killed.

She said 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. It broke my heart when I heard about this," said Zondi. The spokesperson for the Department of Social Development, Mhlaba Memela, said it was 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 said. He added 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.