In the rural community of Centane, four elderly women have been vicious butchered by people wielding homemade swords. Why? They were believed to be witches.

Dispatch reports:

The investigating officer, Inspector Sandla Dlulisa, said the men first attacked Kadeni, who was on her way home from visiting a friend. After hitting Kadeni with a sword on the back of the head and slicing her breasts, the two men left her blood-soaked body and went to attack Gwadiso. They found her in her home with Godola and Gwadiso's two grandchildren. They killed both elderly women.

When police found Godola and Gwadiso's blood-soaked bodies in front of Gwadiso's house about two hours after the attack, Godola's back had been gashed seven times and Gwadiso had eight similar injuries and six additional ones on her chest. The attackers next went to a nearby mealie field in search of Koli, but found her friend Nomisile Velebhayi.

Velebhayi said the men, who looked drunk and crazed, demanded to see the owner of the field. Koli arrived as they were still interrogating Velebhayi. "When she arrived, they turned to her and pushed her to the ground. I watched them hitting her with swords. When I tried to scream, they threatened me. I watched them crack Nosingile's skull. I could not stand that and ran away," said Velebhayi.

Apparently there was a dispute in the community over the allocation of plots of land. I don’t know if "witchcraft" was simply an excuse used by greedy people seeking to disenfranchise elderly women or if someone whipped up hysteria in order to disenfranchise the elderly. Either way, it's a horrible story about horrible beliefs — a sign of what can happen with religion and superstition get out of control.

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