Residents of Ha-Mudimeli village went on the rampage and set two houses on fire on Saturday morning (22nd). The residents of the houses were accused of practicing witchcraft and being behind the deaths of some villagers.
According to one of the villagers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, angry residents attended a funeral of one of the villagers who had allegedly died after being poisoned. After the funeral, a group of residents marched to the local headman's kraal and demanded to be allowed to search two houses where they believed some poison was hidden.
"We have buried a lot of people who allegedly died after being poisoned in this village," she said. Some of the villagers believed that this was the result of evil doings and set about finding the culprits.
According to the provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the police were alerted by the local chief about community members who had gathered at his place to complain about a certain family accused of practicing witchcraft. The traditional leader was also accused of not taking steps against them.
The mob then went to the home of one of the people accused of practicing witchcraft. They allegedly demanded to search the house for muthi. "The group then set the house alight and thereafter went to the woman's son in the same neighbourhood and torched his house as well," Col Malesela said.
He added that when the police arrived, the suspects had already fled the scene. "Both houses were completely burned with all the properties inside. The total estimated damage is at R200,000. There were no injuries sustained during the incident," he said.
Malesela said that the police were investigating two cases of arson. He added that the victims and their families had been accommodated at the local police station's victim empowerment service, where they were receiving the necessary assistance, including counselling.
"We will never allow this unruly behaviour by people who make baseless accusations and take the law into their own hands. The team assigned to track down the suspects responsible must work around the clock to ensure their immediate arrest, so that they face the consequences of their actions," he said.
Anyone with information that can lead to the apprehension of the suspects should urgently contact Lieutenant Colonel Dzagana on 0825657729 or phone the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111. They can also visit the nearest police station or use MySAPSApp.