Pretoria – The Tshwane metro police have arrested a sangoma and two men after they were allegedly found digging up graves to get human bones for muti in Mabopane.
On Friday, the Tshwane metro police department said it received a complaint last week Friday from security guards working the night shift at a graveyard about people digging up graves.
“The officers responded swiftly and rushed to the graveyard.
“Upon arrival they found three people inside the grave busy digging.
“When the three suspects were questioned, they could not account for what they were doing and where they got the permission to dig up the graves,” the department said.
The department added that among the three suspects was a sangoma.
“They were allegedly looking for dead people’s bones for muti purposes.”
The suspects tried to offer a bribe of R1 500.
“They were then arrested for violation of graveyard regulations, malicious damage to property and bribery.”
In a similar incident in May, the body of six-year-old Bontle Mashiyane was found decomposed with some body parts missing.
Three suspects – an ex-convict Collen Hlongwane, 36, Ntombikayise Ngwenya, 40, and Thapelo Ngomane, 25, were arrested and charged with rape, murder, kidnapping and dealing in human tissue.
Mashiyane was reported missing on April 3; her body was discovered on May 21, at Mganduzweni near White River.
One of the suspects, Ngomane, in a video recording, confessed to how they dismembered Mashiyane’s body and removed her womb and her knees.
“For another child a sangoma paid us R45 000 for body parts and for Mashiyane we were given R20 000.
“I don’t know the buyer but I have met his son, who told us what was needed and we gave him.
“Me and another man have slaughtered three children.
“I can’t dismember the body, the other guy is the one who can do that.
“I can kidnap only, but can’t slaughter a human being,” said Ngomane at the time.
He said there were other children’s bodies that were recovered, and confirmed that they gave the body parts to the sangoma.
He said wombs are in demand.
IOL