Four arrested for killing woman, 80, accused of practising witchcraft

12 January 2021 - 06:58 By ernest mabuza
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Four people were arrested in connection with the murder of an 80-year-old woman near Tonga in Mpumalanga on Saturday.
Four people were arrested in connection with the murder of an 80-year-old woman near Tonga in Mpumalanga on Saturday.
Image: 123RF/BELCHONOK

Four people are expected to appear in the Tonga magistrate's court in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga, on Tuesday in connection with the murder of a woman who was beaten with a hoe before being burnt to death in what is believed to be a mob justice attack.

The attack on the 80-year-old woman, accused by the community of practising witchcraft, took place on Saturday.

Police said the victim was hacked with a hoe then locked in her house in Mbuzini near Tonga, before being set alight.

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lt-Gen Mondli Zuma said it was disheartening that the elderly community often suffered such accusations from sections of society and he warned people to refrain from such actions.

“As a result, General Zuma has directed police to work tirelessly to ensure that those arrested, face the full might of the law,” police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi said.

He said the four suspects who have been arrested so far, aged between 44 and 22, are expected to make their first court appearance.

More arrests are imminent.

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