Mhlaba Memela

Mhlaba Memela

A coffin found dumped in a homestead in Donnybrook village, southern KwaZulu-Natal, has terrified residents in the area.

The coffin was found dumped at the Madiba homestead, whose grandmother is a sangoma.

It's not clear on how the coffin got there. However, the community is afraid that the area might be targeted by local thugs who desecrate graves.

"We are still dealing with the shock. And we had hoped that police will track down the origins of the coffin.

"The big question now is to understand what happened to the corpse," said a villager who asked not to be identified.

Police spokesperson Captain Vincent Pandarum confirmed a coffin was found in the residential area.

Captain Patrick Nxasana visited the scene and noted that the coffin was broken into pieces.

"There was no corpse, it did not emit any smell to indicate that there may have been a body in it, nor was it soiled to indicate that it had been exhumed."

Police spokesperson Pandarum said: "The grandmother is a known sangoma in KwaZulu-Natal and the dumping of the coffin on her property may have been an attempt to implicate her as someone who practises witchcraft - or probably to intimidate her for reasons as yet unknown."