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turning to muti

MUTI INTERVENTION: Sangomas Doris Ndlovu and Paulinah Mathosa perform thier rituals at the centre. Pic. Pat Seboko. 27/01/2008. © Sowetan.
MUTI INTERVENTION: Sangomas Doris Ndlovu and Paulinah Mathosa perform thier rituals at the centre. Pic. Pat Seboko. 27/01/2008. © Sowetan.

Vusi Ndlovu

Vusi Ndlovu

An employer who is angry over the spate of thefts at his business had a surprise for his employees yesterday.

Dr Carnie Mattison, who runs the Midrand conference centre, had asked his staff to come to work yesterday because he had "a surprise" for them.

When the about 50 workers arrived, they were met by two sangomas performing a ritual to flush out thieves among them.

The sangomas slaughtered four chickens and mixed their blood with muti before sprinkling it all over the premises. They sprinkled it in the offices, toilets, conference room, yard and workers' change rooms.

The workers said they were shocked to find the sangomas because they had not been told about their presence.

"When we arrived we got to the office and we were told the sangomas were hired to point out thieves among us," said an employee who did not want to be named.

"One sangoma said the thieves would start dying after three days. She told us we have stolen money, cold drinks and a lot of other things."

But Mattison said the staff had requested him to hire a sangoma to conduct a ritual to identify the thieves.

"Between Christmas and New Year my place was broken into. We have an alarm system and security guards. Those people had a key because all the doors were opened without having been broken.

"They came with equipment to cut through the Trelidoors to gain entry to where the safe was, but fortunately there was no money there. They (staff) requested that I make sure that no fingers pointed at them unduly. They said I must get a sangoma to come and conduct a ritual to clear their names."

One of the two sangomas, Doris Ndlovu said she had identified some of the thieves and they would start confessing their sins after three days. She said they stole money, cold drinks, computers and cutlery.

The workers agreed that they stole cold drinks but denied taking other things.

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