Witchcraft is a reality within African culture that is seldom discussed openly in public. Those affected fear reprisals and the law that says witchcraft is a myth and whoever points to another as a witch is liable for arrest.
One man at Shayandima township outside Thohoyandou who has experienced strange things at his house, even though he is a staunch Christian, is left with no doubt that people with bad intentions are out to harm him.
Mr Solomon Malema (58) is now living in fear, not knowing what will happen next and what these evil people want at his house.
The whole drama started in 2016 when a naked woman was found in his yard when he arrived from an errand in the township. It was in broad daylight and the woman could not explain her presence at the house.
The shocked Malema called his neighbours, who were equally shocked. He summoned the police, who never came, and after a long time an old granny gave the naked woman a shawl in which she wrapped herself and went away.
Malema could not pursue the matter as the woman was no longer in his yard, but he has been living in fear since. The matter did not end there.
In one shocking recent incident in the wee hours of Sunday evening, Malema heard some noises on the roof of his house but thought he was dreaming. On Monday, while he was relaxing with his friend, Mr Khodani Nelufule, he noticed a thin red line that was tied to a fence and went over the roof of his house to the top of a very tall, huge tree just across the road.
"I am a Christian who believes in God, but this has come as a big shock to me. When I heard some noises on the roof, I thought I was dreaming, but now I realise that something was happening right here on my roof." He added that he strongly believed that some people with bad intentions wanted to hurt his family. "I have so many questions that need answers. Who is persecuting this family and for what reason?"
He added that the line was very thin and red in colour, and it was a mystery how those responsible managed to climb over the roof of the house and to the top of the tall tree. "Something is wrong here and I do not have answers," he said.
Malema further indicated that he thought a link existed between the 2016 incident and the latest one, but as a Christian he had put everything in the hands of God and was confident that God would protect him and his family from all evil.
Malema's friend, Khodani Nelufule, said he had never seen anything like that before. "This is very difficult to believe what happened here. I am not a superstitious person, but I am left with no option but to believe that this is an act of witchcraft. People are evil and are capable of everything in life," he said.
The chairperson of the Vhangona Indigenous Health Practitioners, Maine Vho-Matamba Mamuremi, said that no doubt existed that the incidents were witchcraft related. "These are signs of evil attempts made at his home and Malema should seek help from strong traditional healers who will reinforce his home and ward off the forces of evil," he said.
At the time of our going for press, the red line was still there as no one was prepared to touch or remove it.