KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli says investigations have revealed that some of the mass murder cases in the province are a result of family members accusing and suspecting each other of witchcraft. 

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

Ntuli said that families go to izangoma to consult and whatever they hear makes them turn against each other. "We've learnt that when families return from consulting with sangoma, they retaliate by killing their relatives, accusing them of witchcraft," said Ntuli. He referred to a case in KwaHlokohloko where seven family members were killed, including a five-year-old boy. "When you follow the case, you find elements of one side of the family believing that the other side is bewitching them because they are jealous of their success," he said. However, we applaud the excellent work of our law enforcement officers after they shot and killed two suspects linked to the murder. "We will not rest until we find those responsible for ordering the brutal killing of seven innocent people," said Ntuli.

INTERVENTION NEEDED

Ntuli said the government has a responsibility to intervene. "We need to intervene as the government and engage with traditional leaders about how izangoma should approach situations with dire circumstances."