Something close to panic has gripped Swaziland /
Eswatini as the fear that children will be kidnapped and ritually murdered has
taken hold.
The Swazi Observer reported on Thursday (14 June 2018) that 258
children absconded from school at Mafutseni Children’s Cup Care Point in fear
of being kidnapped and killed.
It reported one of the teachers Zine Mkhwanazi told a meeting of parents
children were afraid to go to the school because of an incident in May where a
16-year-old boy escaped from three knife-wielding men who had cornered him in a
forest and tried to slice his throat in what was believed to be a ritual murder
attempt. The boy escaped and was admitted to hospital.
The newspaper reported Mkhwanazi said what happened scared
everyone, more so, because the attempt on the boy was made at a spot children
pass on their way to school.
The Swazi
Observer reported on Tuesday (12 June 2018) that parents were now trailing
their children wherever they go. ‘It is said some of the parents even accompany
their children to Sunday school, just to make sure prowling killers do not go
near them,’ it reported. Parents also go with their children to school.
This has happened after reports, many unconfirmed,
that children across Swaziland are being abducted and ritually murdered. Body
parts are then said to be used in muti to create spells to bring good luck.
There is a belief that some people are doing this to help them win seats in the
forthcoming National Assembly election.
The Observer
quoted one concerned parent saying, ‘Elections are a curse to some of us as
that’s the period where children go missing. It’s bad that such incidents are
now associated with the elections and it paints a bad picture of the country
because in the eyes of the world we are known as a nation where ritual murders
are rife during elections.’
Another parent said, ‘There is fear that when we let
our children leave school on their own, that places them in danger.’
The Times of Swaziland reported on Thursday
(14 June 2018) an alleged ritual killer was assaulted by a mob and set on fire
at Mafutseni.
It happened after a man made a joke that his own blood was not fit to be used
as muti. A mob singled him out as a ritual killer because he appeared to have
knowledge about how blood was used to make spells. It added the incident
happened about a month after one of the man’s relative went missing.
See also
RITUAL
KILLINGS LINKED TO ELECTION
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