Johannesburg - The form of gender-based violence (GBV) that is secretly taking the lives of women and children who are killed for witchcraft and other nefarious reasons continues unabated as more women and children are reported missing.
The disappearance of four-year-old Bokgabo Poo, who went missing on October 10 and was found by Wattville police a few days later with some of her body parts missing, has cast a spotlight on this strange form of GBV, where people's body parts are used for muti and other nefarious purposes.
According to traditional healers, the practise has become a common occurrence in the country, with reports of children and women being reported missing almost on a daily basis.
On Monday, murder accused Ntokozo Zikhali, who is reported to be the last person seen in the company of the four-year-old, appeared in the Benoni Magistrate’s Court on charges of kidnapping, rape, murder, defeating the ends of justice and violation of a corpse in connection with the death of Bokgabo.
In what has become speculation about the real reasons for her murder, Times Live reported that self-styled prophet Mapaseka Mboro was subsequently chased away from the Poo family by members of the community who accused him of shielding the accused, saying Zikhali’s family paid tithes and the accused was one of his church members.
Mboro is quoted as saying the child could be turned into a zombie, which is why he wanted to pray for her and the family.
Speaking during a recent interview on Hustlers Corner with DJ Sbu, celebrated sangoma and traditional healer, Gogo Skhotheni, admitted that izangoma, izinyanga, and other traditional healers dabbled in the invocation of evil spirits and the sale of body parts, especially those of children who are mostly virgins and pure in spirit. She said the increase in incidents of missing children could be attributed to people seeking fortune at the expense of children and women.
"People kill for money and use people's body parts to create powerful muti that is used to acquire wealth. All these things contribute to violence and crime. Dirty spirits in the form of tokoloshes are used and dead people are used to work for evil forces.
"Children's body parts are used because children are pure and innocent and have not exchanged spirits. This is why we have a high rate of children being killed or children going missing and found with missing body parts," she said.
She said that sometimes men who act violently and commit GBV within their homes could be possessed by evil forces that use them for evil purposes.
"You have a situation where a family man becomes frustrated and then kills the whole family. How do you explain a father killing his own children or family? Your spirit is connected to your mental state, and people should take care of themselves to avoid being used by evil spirits," she said.
Medium, healer and prophetess, Didah Motaung, another traditional healer, told The Star that human trafficking and the harvesting of people's body parts had become a societal issue that needs everyone to come together.
"As a country, we need to pray more and we need to call out these churches and traditional healers who are acting as a front for human trafficking and drug supply. Some of these pastors and healers bathwele (misappropriate people’s spirits and body parts) and use muti to demonise our ancestral ways, which is a contributing factor to the scourge of GBV that we see in our society," she said.
She said the violence meted against women and children is a cause for concern, adding that a dirty spirit can come in different ways and formations. She said some of the people who commit GBV on a grand scale could also be victims of witchcraft.
"Perhaps this person has also committed murder and his spirit has not been cleansed, which in turn makes him lose control and commit more murders. Some of these people are used by the evil spirits without them knowing about it or being aware," she said.
Motaung said the traditional healers involved in muti killings tarnish the good name of the African healing culture, which is meant to heal and not kill.
"As traditional healers, we are called to heal and not kill. It is a very sad reality when healers start using body parts in their practises all in pursuit of wealth," she said.
The Star