The aunt of a KwaZulu-Natal man who was stoned to death by an angry mob after they accused him of witchcraft has left her home as she fears for her safety.
Thembekile Khwela also blamed the police for her nephew's brutal murder, saying they deliberately ignored her call for help.
"I'm now in hiding because I'm told they said that I was next in line. They accuse me of being the mastermind who sent my nephew to bewitch them," she said.
Lungisani Khwela, 22, of Umlazi Y section in Durban, was hunted down by the mob on Sunday.
The mob apparently beat him up severely, leading to him confessing that he was the cause of their misfortune.
But Khwela on Wednesday said Lungisani was not a witch.
"When have you heard of a witch who is 22?
"The boy had a spiritual gift and healed people using his God-given gift.
"What pains my heart even more is that I called police to come and help after hearing that my nephew was being attacked.
"They said there were no vehicles and arrived only after three hours," she said.
Lungisani allegedly told the angry residents that he had bewitched several people in the area and that he had a list of family members who he was going to kill in 2016 .
After the confession, they stoned him to death. His hands were tied behind his back and he was stripped naked before being brutally killed.
His gruesome killing was triggered by a report from one of the families in the township.
The family said they had consulted a sangoma after a child collapsed and died in the family yard.
The sangoma is alleged to have told the family the worst was about to happen.
He then gave them muthi to smear on the walls of the house.
Lungisani was allegedly caught in the yard with a broom and a bucket and tried to flee but was captured by community members.
Local ward councillor Siphiwe Gwala confirmed the incident regarding Lungisani's murder. He said the matter was now with the police.
"We condemn the barbaric acts and we are working with the police to identify the criminals."
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said police were investigating a case of murder.
This is the second similar incident to rock the township. In 2012, Thembelihle Magubane was set alight and killed on allegations of being a witch.
She had been accused of shaving off her neighbour's three-year-old child's eyebrows, an act perceived as witchcraft by the community.
Aunt flees witch-hunters
The aunt of a KwaZulu-Natal man who was stoned to death by an angry mob after they accused him of witchcraft has left her home as she fears for her safety.
Thembekile Khwela also blamed the police for her nephew's brutal murder, saying they deliberately ignored her call for help.
"I'm now in hiding because I'm told they said that I was next in line. They accuse me of being the mastermind who sent my nephew to bewitch them," she said.
Lungisani Khwela, 22, of Umlazi Y section in Durban, was hunted down by the mob on Sunday.
The mob apparently beat him up severely, leading to him confessing that he was the cause of their misfortune.
But Khwela on Wednesday said Lungisani was not a witch.
"When have you heard of a witch who is 22?
"The boy had a spiritual gift and healed people using his God-given gift.
"What pains my heart even more is that I called police to come and help after hearing that my nephew was being attacked.
"They said there were no vehicles and arrived only after three hours," she said.
Lungisani allegedly told the angry residents that he had bewitched several people in the area and that he had a list of family members who he was going to kill in 2016 .
After the confession, they stoned him to death. His hands were tied behind his back and he was stripped naked before being brutally killed.
His gruesome killing was triggered by a report from one of the families in the township.
The family said they had consulted a sangoma after a child collapsed and died in the family yard.
The sangoma is alleged to have told the family the worst was about to happen.
He then gave them muthi to smear on the walls of the house.
Lungisani was allegedly caught in the yard with a broom and a bucket and tried to flee but was captured by community members.
Local ward councillor Siphiwe Gwala confirmed the incident regarding Lungisani's murder. He said the matter was now with the police.
"We condemn the barbaric acts and we are working with the police to identify the criminals."
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said police were investigating a case of murder.
This is the second similar incident to rock the township. In 2012, Thembelihle Magubane was set alight and killed on allegations of being a witch.
She had been accused of shaving off her neighbour's three-year-old child's eyebrows, an act perceived as witchcraft by the community.
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