Daily Sun (June 17 2015) - WITH ONLY five minutes to spare, the mourners finally managed to pull the heavy cow from the grave.
But there was nothing left to do to save the cow.
THE BADLY INJURED ANIMAL WAS SHOT TO PUT IT OUT OF ITS MISERY.
As the funeral procession of Vuyiswa Mpenzana (62) approached the Matanzima Cemetery in KwaNobuhle kasi in Uitenhage yesterday, a desperate squad of more than 20 men sweated to get the cow out of the hole.
When the SunTeam arrived, the cow was lying quietly in the
six-feet deep hole. Its legs were tied together and its horns were tied with ropes.
Some men suggested the cow should be slaughtered inside the grave so it could be cut up and removed piece by piece.
“We can’t allow blood to be spilled inside the grave,” objected a mourner.
But another mourner shouted: “We are running out of time! We have to kill the cow!”
Nzimeni Mpenzana (74), spokesman of the bereaved family told Daily Sun: “We rushed to the graveyard when we heard there was a cow stuck in the grave and we missed the
funeral service at the church. But we managed to remove the cow minutes before the buses carrying mourners and the hearse arrived.”
They eventually pulled the cow out of the grave with a bakkie.
While mourners were talking about evil spirits, Nzimeni said the family blamed the owners of the cow.
“There is no evil spirit here. We blame the people for being careless with their animals,” he said.
Deon Combrink from the SPCA arrived and examined the animal. Then he produced a gun and shot the injured animal.
Deon told Daily Sun: “The cow’s neck and legs were injured. It was not pulled out correctly. They should have dug more in the corner of the grave to create a step. I had to shoot it to save it from pain.”
The men agreed that they would spice the animal and share it among themselves.
Sangoma Lifa Noda said. “The dead woman may have been busy with ukuthwala to get rich and she died without finishing the ritual, leaving her wealth. Some family members may have known about this.”
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