Rituals lead to xenophobic attack near Louis Trichardt
During an incident, several Zimbabwean families living in the Gogobole area had to flee their homes when a marauding mob told them to return to their homeland or face the consequences.
LIMPOPO – The South African Human Rights Commission has condemned xenophobic attacks that recently happened in the Gogobole area, during which Zimbabwean citizens were forcefully removed from their houses and driven out of the area. Community members in the area are accusing foreigners of witchcraft and performing outlandish rituals.
During an incident two weeks ago, several Zimbabwean families living in the Gogobole area had to flee their homes when a marauding mob told them in no uncertain terms to return to their homeland or face the consequences.
To demonstrate their intent, the group went on the rampage, taking property belonging to the Zimbabweans residents from the homes where they stay. The whereabouts of the displaced foreign nationals are currently unknown.
A concerned resident, Annah Dzegere, said they had long reported their concerns over foreign nationals to their community leadership, but little action was taken.
“We have many foreigners here without papers. We do not have any problem with that, but our people are being robbed. Some of the foreigners are conducting rituals in people’s yards without their permission,” she said. She remarked that they, however, were not xenophobic and believed that the Zimbabwean people shared the same roots as the local people. “We are just opposed to the rituals being performed.”
The provincial manager of the commission, Victor Mavhidula said accusing someone of being involved in witchcraft is illegal.
“Any suspicious activity should be reported to the police. The law prohibits imputing anyone to have committed witchcraft. It goes against the principles of equality as well as the Bill of Rights,” he said.
