Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
A Venda cleric believes he is going to die today. He is spending the better part of the day on his knees appealing to God to save his soul. He is also fasting. Thambulo Mabuke, who hails from a village called Tshaulu near Thoyandou, Northern Province, was warned of his imminent death by a group of witches. His biggest sin, according to the witches, is nepotism and discrimination.
An evangelist and member of the local civic association, Mabuke is accused of hiring only Christians to work at various community projects. The witches are angry that Mabuke, who heads the civic association’s employment team, employed only Christians to build a community clinic and “discriminated against Devil worshippers”. Mabuke learned about his “sins” and about his pending death through an anonymous handwritten letter delivered to him last month.
The matter is now with the police and a case of “assault by threat” has been opened.
The witches, who gave Mabuke until February 16 to say goodbye to his family and friends, said in the letter their cronies who support the Devil fill the long queues of the unemployed in the village while Christians are enjoying the fruits of community work.
The Venda area is not new to witchcraft. In the past people have been murdered for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The decision to “take” Mabuke’s life was taken in a meeting last year, says the letter. In addition to reporting the matter to the police, Mabuke has also sought the assistance of traditional leaders. Several meetings called by traditional leaders have been held in the past to find a solution to Mabuke’s problem. But even this may cause problems for Mabuke. The witches’ letter warns him not to share the threats with anyone. They said if he told anyone, he’d die a “madman”. Although Mabuke says he is not afraid of the witches, he is doubling his prayer sessions just in case.