The Limpopo legislature is to host a public hearing on ritual murders in the province, an official said on Tuesday.
”The ritual murders in the province have attracted the attention of the province’s lawmakers,” Limpopo legislature spokesperson Kenny Mathivha said.
The hearing would be held at the Tshixwadza soccer ground in Mutale, Vhembe, on Saturday morning.
The Limpopo province has experienced spates of ritual mutilations. In August, Mashudu Mundzelele narrowly escaped losing his tongue when his attackers tried to rip it out with pliers.
In another incident last year, a girl from Makonde Village near Thohoyandou had her lips cut off but survived, while her dead boyfriend’s genitals had been removed.
According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court sentenced four traditional healers to lengthy jail terms on September 18 for attempted murder and murder. A fifth accused, Ramafamaba Tanzwani, was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
According to Mathivha, the sentencing of the four brought mixed reactions from community members around Thohoyandou.
Mathiva said it was difficult to say why people were being mutilated, saying that some believed that by using people’s body parts, muti (traditional medicine) would work faster.
Chairperson of the portfolio committee on safety and security, Justice Pitso, said based on their findings following the hearing, they would make recommendations to the legislature.
Spokesperson for Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto, Mogale Nchabeleng, welcomed efforts to get to the root of the problem.
”The office of the premier welcomes the effort made by the legislature in fighting the ritual murders and mutilations in the province.” — Sapa