Traditional healer held over Khan's beheading

12 November 2015 - 02:16 By Bongani Mthethwa

A traditional healer has been arrested in connection with the beheading of a promising young cricketer whose headless body was found in a forest near his home on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. The 31-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon at an informal settlement in Umzinto after a tip-off.A head believed to be that of Nawaaz Khan, winner of the 2013 intellectually impaired cricketer of the year award, was also recovered.It had been cut up and placed in several plastic shopping bags, and buried in a gumtree plantation in Ellingham.Police have taken the badly decomposed head to the Park Rynie mortuary for forensic analysis.Khan's family reported him missing on Saturday and police investigations revealed he was last seen with a close friend, who has also been arrested for murder after he made a confession.Thandowakhe Duma, 21, told the police that he had consulted a traditional healer, who told him that a human head was needed to help him with his personal problems.It is alleged that Duma and the healer lured Khan to the forest and killed him with a bush knife.The healer is expected to appear in court soon.Duma will appear on Thursday next week.Khan, who played both provincial and national cricket in squads for the intellectually impaired, was described as a cricketer who worked hard, with a "never-give-up attitude".His mother, Zakia Khan, told a local community newspaper that Khan was "a humble young man" who loved cricket and soccer, and was a great fan of Proteas Test captain Hashim Amla."Nawaaz made me a proud mum and always had big dreams."He was a keen cricketer who played for Saints locally and his greatest moment was receiving one of his cricket awards from Hashim Amla and being interviewed on television," she said...

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