Mbabane | Thursday
THREE youths from southern Swaziland were found guilty by a traditional Swazi court on Wednesday of carrying out a rampage of attacking single women while disguised as primates.
The youths, wearing baboon suits, had demanded food and sex from single and widowed women, after invading their homes in the Ezikhotheni area at night.
A number of women have deserted their homes since the three “English-speaking baboons”, aged 16, 15 and 12, began their rampage at the beginning of the year.
Police arrested them on June 20 and they appeared before the Hluthi national court on Wednesday. The boys faced nine counts of malicious damage to property and they pleaded not guilty.
Court president Mahlabayidlele Dlamini found them guilty on two counts and the court will continue with the other seven counts in a hearing next Wednesday.
The older juveniles were sentenced to 10 months in jail or a fine of 100 lilangeni (about $12) for each count and the 12-year old to five strokes.
The “baboons'” reign had so alarmed some of the kingdoms parliamentarians that they had called for them to be eliminated.
Leading prophet Smanga Mthalane even offered to go to Ezikhotheni to exorcise the demons he believed possessed the primates. – AFP
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