Evidence wa ka Ngobeni Northern Province police have arrested at least five sangomas in the past few months for sexually assaulting teenagers and forcing female clients to submit to sex to be cured of their illnesses. The police have raised concerns about the incidents and have also embarked on an awareness campaign to warn women about rapist sangomas. This follows the arrest this week of a sangoma who allegedly kidnapped and raped two teenage cousins at his home in Born Village near Tzaneen at the weekend. The sangoma, who appeared briefly in the Ritavi Magistrate’s Court, allegedly chained the teen-agers to his bed and repeatedly raped them for more than 24 hours until he was caught by the girl’s relatives. According to police representative, Inspector Moatshe Ngoepe, the two teenagers have been ”disturbed” since the incident. In another case last month, a young girl was raped by a sangoma at Makopane village near Nelstroom after she went to him for treatment.
The sangoma claimed that he would heal the girl if she had sex with him, says Northern Province representative Superintendent Frans Mojapelo.
And in Bushbuckridge another woman was raped by a sangoma after she went for treatment. The sangoma is still on the run. Meanwhile, police representative captain Aileei Mushvhanamabi said police have arrested two other sangomas in Venda for forcing their clients to submit to sexual intercourse.
”We are currently educating the women, especially in the rural areas, about these sangomas,” he said. The awareness campaign has helped women to become aware of their rights and guard against rapist sangomas, Mushvhanamabi said.