Boy’s leg cut off with a panga in suspected muthi-related incident

A 13-year-old boy is fighting for his life after his leg was hacked off with a panga in what seems like a muthi-related incident.

The boy, who lives with his grandmother near Hazyview in Mpumalanga, was apparently playing in the yard when he was approached by two men.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, the teenager followed the men after they told him they wanted to buy him something.

They then allegedly dragged him to a nearby field, where they used a panga to chop off his left leg. The two men then fled the scene.

Residents found the teenager lying in a pool of blood after they heard his screams and rushed him to the nearest hospital.

Hlathi said the police were investigating the possibility that the attack might be muthi-related as the boy’s amputated leg had not yet been found. The panga used in the attack is also missing.

When the police arrived on the scene, they found residents gathered around two huts apparently belonging to the suspects, which they later set alight.

For security reasons, Hlathi refused to say which hospital the boy was taken to as his life might still be in danger.

“He is still in a critical condition,” he said.

The names of the two suspects are apparently known to the police and they are following up numerous leads to track them down.

The police are investigating a case of attempted murder as well as arson. Nobody has been arrested yet.

Any information about the incident can be given to Captain France Mhlongo on 072 624 5133.

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