Two ANC officials made a startling witchcraft claim in court where they testified that the soil scooped from where North West premier Supra Mahumapelo had walked was going to be mixed with muthi to kill him.

The two were testifying in the conspiracy to murder trial against former ANC councillor Gaasite Legalatladi in the Lehurutshe Magistrate's Court, Zeerust, yesterday.

Legalatladi is accused of plotting to kill Mahumapelo.

Yesterday, the state called MEC for rural, environment and agricultural development Manketse Tlhape and Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality mayor Justice Makolomakwa to give evidence about a cellphone conversation they had allegedly overheard on November 24, 2014. On the day, the ANC had held a rally in Mmasebudule village near Zeerust.

The pair told the court that the speaker of Mahikeng local municipality Pontsho Tabane said there was a plot to kill Mahumapelo.

A traditional healer, who was also an ANC branch secretary at the time , Thanako Tshukudu, attended the rally. He had allegedly been approached by Legalatladi to kill the premier.

The witnesses said Tshukudu called them under a tree and dialled Legalatladi's number. She answered and apparently confirmed her intention to kill Mahumapelo.

Tlhape said she took a look at Tshukudu's cellphone while he was dialling and saw him calling a name saved as " Kebatlagonna meiyara " (I want to be mayor).

She said Tshukudu told her that Legalatladi said she wanted him to kill Mahumapelo and Mahikeng mayor Gosiame Seatlholo because Mahumapelo had taken her family land and denied her an opportunity to become mayor.

"He said do you still want to kill the premier and she said 'yes' and Tshukudu asked about her whereabouts and she said she was busy cooking at Tongtonyane."

Tlhape said Tshukudu then told Legalatladi, who was not aware that she was on a loudspeaker, that he was going to take soil from where Mahumapelo had walked at the rally.

She said Legalatladi was then warned by Tshukudu that she must be in Mmasebudule that night as the footprint soil was not supposed to stay overnight.

It was not explained to the court how this mixture would have killed a human being or how it would have reached Mahumapelo.

Makolomakwa further testified that Legalatladi was one of the top three candidates who were contesting for the mayoral position at the Mahikeng local municipality.

But Legalatladi's lawyer Butch Schoeman rubbished their evidence and said his client would testify that Tshukudu was the one who said Mahumapelo had cast a spell on her, and that she needed his help to reverse the spell back to Mahumapelo.

Schoeman also said his client would testify that Tshukudu was going to drop a cellphone on the ground and pick it up with the soil with Mahumapelo's footprints. The soil was going to be mixed with muthi that night, he added.

A video footage is expected to be played at the next court sitting on May 22 next year when Tshukudu would take the stand.

Legalatladi's R3000 bail was extended until the next court date .

tshehleb@sowetan.co.za