During the month of August, traditional healer Sibusiso Ndawonde from Msinga (which stretches over a large area between Dundee, Greytown and Ezakheni) allegedly raped four teenage male victims between 15 and 17 years old.
The traditional healer deceived the community by approaching the victims’ elders. He informed the elders that the male victims in their household were sick and needed traditional help, and he was able to assist. He informed the elders of each family that he had a “prophecy” that these families had problems and he had the solution to the problem.
He then managed to convince the family of each of the victims that he had to take the victims with him to his house in the Msinga area, where he would be able to use traditional medicine to heal and cure them.
He used the same modus operandi (namely, males are sick and he needs to take them to his traditional practice rooms to heal them) to lure several teenagers to his home.
He would leave his wife in their bedroom, and spend the night with the young male victims in his traditional healing room.
He raped the males for the entire night, stating that the only way to heal and cure them of their illness and bad omens was by raping them for two weeks.
Each male victim was kept at his traditional rooms and raped for two weeks.
One of the victims managed to escape and reported the matter to his parents. A case was then registered at the local police station for further investigation.
When Greytown Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit members went to trace and arrest the traditional healer, they found there were two other young males inside the traditional healing room.
These males looked intimidated and uncomfortable. When interviewed by the Greytown FCS officers, they revealed that they were being raped by the traditional healer.
Further cases of rape were registered and the traditional healer was placed in police custody. He appeared before court, where bail was successfully opposed. He is still in custody.
The case was remanded to Pietermaritzburg High Court on November 10.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, commended the Greytown FCS Unit for arresting the alleged rape suspect. “I want to appeal to the community to always be vigilant and be aware of sexual predators so that our children do not become victims of this horrendous crime,” she said.
