‘Pastor cut off my hands despite plea for mercy’
MPUMALANGA – “I begged him to at least leave me with one hand, but he said my friends must see what happens to people who steal from him.”
These are the words of the man who had both his hands chopped off in Mpumalanga two weeks ago. Dumisani Mahlangu, 29, was released from hospital this week and spoke to Sowetan, admitting he was a thief. However, Mahlangu said he had nothing to do with the crime he was accused of on March 20, when he had his hands chopped off in Vosman, Emalahleni, allegedly by a local pastor after he was accused of stealing from a church.
Apostle Solomon Mhlanga, 58, and his 20-year-old son Enoch appeared in the Emalahleni Magistrates Court on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping. The case was postponed to April 9, for bail applications. The community policing forum (CPF) in the area said they were faced with a drug problem with addicts stealing steel to sell at scrapyards to feed their addictions.
Mahlangu said he was walking past the church in Kwa-Guqa when he was cornered by a group of armed men who accused him of stealing from their church before assaulting him. “I was going to my friend’s house at around 7am. I took a shortcut and walked through the church yard. Four men approached me, accusing me of stealing. As I tried to run away, I heard several gunshots, and they told me to stop or they would shoot me. They assaulted me with sticks and fists,” he said.
“The pastor’s son phoned the pastor. I heard him saying, ‘Dad, we found Dumisani’. The pastor came and was driving a van, followed by his wife in a car. When he arrived he assaulted me and tied my hands and feet with a rope. They put me in the back of the van and we drove to a secluded area in Kromdraai.” He said the pastor was armed with a panga.