THEY watch helplessly as their peers in uniforms walk to school in the morning.
The two siblings can only watch because they have to stay home every weekday as going to school is a right they no longer enjoy.
The young pair have been branded "Satanists", at least in the eyes of residents of Tshitomboni and Dididi villages in Limpopo.
At only 10 and eight, the girl and her brother are in hiding after two primary schools in neighbouring villages kicked them out.
Their banishment comes after residents from the two villages accused them of practising Satanism, and pressured both Tshinetise and Dididi primary schools to remove them.
A senior teacher at Tshinetise Primary School confirmed the two pupils were no longer with the school, but refused to be drawn into details.
"There are internal issues that we cannot disclose as far as [their departure] is concerned," the teacher said.
"The parent came here to ask for their transfer and we gave it to her, that's all we can say."
According to the 28-year-old mother of the siblings, who also cannot be named to protect the children's identities, her children lasted a week at Tshinetise where she had registered them after she had returned from Johannesburg where she was living. This was at the end of July.
"I was summoned to the headman's kraal in their first week of school and told to explain why I had brought Satanic children in the community," she told Sowetan.
"The headman and village elders told me to leave the village with my children because the community was not comfortable with having their children in the same school as my children."
Having left the village, the mother said, the siblings were enrolled at Dididi Primary in the neighbouring Dididi village last month.
But a school week had barely gone by when the local South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) branch members and the Dididi school governing body (SGB) mobilised the community to march outside the primary school last Tuesday.
Sanco, the SGB and residents gave the school an ultimatum to deregister the "Satanic" pupils or else they would shut it down.
"If the community wants the children gone, what can we do? We were trying to avoid disaster, that's why we let them go," the senior school member told Sowetan.
A Dididi resident said the community's outrage last week was correct in that, according to rumours coming from Tshitomboni, the ostracised siblings possess powers to kill people by mere touch.
"No one can agree to have their children share classes with such dangerous children."
The siblings' mother said the rumours started after her daughter's friend allegedly made a threat to school playground bullies not to mess with her newcomer friend.
"I'm told her friend said my daughter chops people into pieces and drinks their blood, and can fix death dates on people she doesn't like," she said, adding that parents reported the threat to school authorities and the village headman.
Tshitomboni village headman Zwidofhelangani Mbubane denied giving the banishment order.
"In fact, I'm hearing about this for the first time from you," Mbubane said.
"I don't want my name to be associated with this or I'm going to sue the woman accusing me - and your newspaper."
Dididi Sanco branch chairman Eric Singo denied the civic movement's involvement in the march last week.
"We were not there, not a single member of our movement was present. If you want to know who is behind the children's removal, you must direct your questions to the SGB and village headman," Singo said.
Thohoyandou police said they were not aware of the march or expulsions as no one had opened a case or alerted the police.
The siblings' mother said she did not know that it was "permissible to open a case" against the wishes of traditional and civic leaders.
Limpopo provincial education spokesman Paena Galane said local education authorities had been tasked to intervene.
"No one has the right to expel any child in any school," Galane told Sowetan.
"The [Vhembe] district [education] manager has been given the task to make sure this matter is resolved and that the community [must] understand the rights of a child to education ... no one has the right to deny any child education."
mazibilas@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
'Satanic' siblings banned from schools - Rumour by friend backfires
THEY watch helplessly as their peers in uniforms walk to school in the morning.
The two siblings can only watch because they have to stay home every weekday as going to school is a right they no longer enjoy.
The young pair have been branded "Satanists", at least in the eyes of residents of Tshitomboni and Dididi villages in Limpopo.
At only 10 and eight, the girl and her brother are in hiding after two primary schools in neighbouring villages kicked them out.
Their banishment comes after residents from the two villages accused them of practising Satanism, and pressured both Tshinetise and Dididi primary schools to remove them.
A senior teacher at Tshinetise Primary School confirmed the two pupils were no longer with the school, but refused to be drawn into details.
"There are internal issues that we cannot disclose as far as [their departure] is concerned," the teacher said.
"The parent came here to ask for their transfer and we gave it to her, that's all we can say."
According to the 28-year-old mother of the siblings, who also cannot be named to protect the children's identities, her children lasted a week at Tshinetise where she had registered them after she had returned from Johannesburg where she was living. This was at the end of July.
"I was summoned to the headman's kraal in their first week of school and told to explain why I had brought Satanic children in the community," she told Sowetan.
"The headman and village elders told me to leave the village with my children because the community was not comfortable with having their children in the same school as my children."
Having left the village, the mother said, the siblings were enrolled at Dididi Primary in the neighbouring Dididi village last month.
But a school week had barely gone by when the local South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) branch members and the Dididi school governing body (SGB) mobilised the community to march outside the primary school last Tuesday.
Sanco, the SGB and residents gave the school an ultimatum to deregister the "Satanic" pupils or else they would shut it down.
"If the community wants the children gone, what can we do? We were trying to avoid disaster, that's why we let them go," the senior school member told Sowetan.
A Dididi resident said the community's outrage last week was correct in that, according to rumours coming from Tshitomboni, the ostracised siblings possess powers to kill people by mere touch.
"No one can agree to have their children share classes with such dangerous children."
The siblings' mother said the rumours started after her daughter's friend allegedly made a threat to school playground bullies not to mess with her newcomer friend.
"I'm told her friend said my daughter chops people into pieces and drinks their blood, and can fix death dates on people she doesn't like," she said, adding that parents reported the threat to school authorities and the village headman.
Tshitomboni village headman Zwidofhelangani Mbubane denied giving the banishment order.
"In fact, I'm hearing about this for the first time from you," Mbubane said.
"I don't want my name to be associated with this or I'm going to sue the woman accusing me - and your newspaper."
Dididi Sanco branch chairman Eric Singo denied the civic movement's involvement in the march last week.
"We were not there, not a single member of our movement was present. If you want to know who is behind the children's removal, you must direct your questions to the SGB and village headman," Singo said.
Thohoyandou police said they were not aware of the march or expulsions as no one had opened a case or alerted the police.
The siblings' mother said she did not know that it was "permissible to open a case" against the wishes of traditional and civic leaders.
Limpopo provincial education spokesman Paena Galane said local education authorities had been tasked to intervene.
"No one has the right to expel any child in any school," Galane told Sowetan.
"The [Vhembe] district [education] manager has been given the task to make sure this matter is resolved and that the community [must] understand the rights of a child to education ... no one has the right to deny any child education."
mazibilas@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos