CHILLING EVIDENCE HEARD IN SANGOMA MUTI TRIAL
The Mthatha high court heard testimony that a Mbizana sangoma allegedly murdered a schoolgirl and dismembered her for muti to make himself and others rich
Chilling evidence of how Mbizana sangoma Olwethu Mbalwa allegedly murdered schoolgirl Sinoyolo Mgaga in 2017, beheaded her and dismembered her to use her body parts for muti, was heard in the Mthatha high court sitting in Mbizana on Monday.
Judge Buyiswa Majiki was told that the discovery of the mutilated body of the Grade 10 pupil, 17, on October 15 2017, at KwaNikhwe village in Mbizana, came after Mbalwa was approached by the teen’s aunt, who wanted muti that would make her rich.
Mbalwa has been held in custody since his arrest on October 27 2017.
Led by state prosecuting advocate Ndoyisile Lamla, Mbizana station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Freemantle said according to the sangoma the reason for the alleged murder was to make himself rich by selling the body parts, along with other muti, to people who wanted instant wealth. Freemantle was the head of the task team formed to probe the case.
“The accused said this came after he was first approached by the aunt of the victim asking if` he had muti to make her rich.
“He said he told her he could provide such muti only if he could get the body parts of a relative, and the aunt visited here again to inform him that she had identified a relative who could be sacrificed for the muti,” Freemantle said.
The policeman said after the accused was arrested, he confessed. He also led police to a shallow grave where the body parts were hidden.
After killing the the victim he allegedly took body parts, wrapped the head in a towel, put it in a 20l container of water and traditional medicines and buried it, inserting two pipes serving as an inlet and an outlet where he would suck out foam from the head to make muti.
Freemantle said Mbalwa told him and other investigators he had killed Sinoyolo alone.
“It was clear he was haunted by the killing,” he said.
In the last court appearance in December, following a trialwithin-trial where the accused disowned the statement claiming he was under police duress to implicate himself, the judge dismissed the claim and ruled on the admissibility of the confession.
The case continues.