Daily Sun (December 10 2014) - THE lightning killed a boy and then attacked two young people who were lucky to escape with their lives.
And suspicious villagers believe it isn't natural. They believe there are evil forces at work.
THEY WANT THE SALE OF LIGHTNING-IN-A-BOTTLE TO STOP!
"We don't believe the lightning was an act of nature," said Simon Mthisi from Acornhoek,
Mpumalanga.
"We believe there are people selling muthi that makes lightning at the pension points in the area. "They sell it for as little as R5."
Hendrik Komane (13), a grade 7 pupil at Kgwaditiba Primary School in Acornhoek, was killed by lightning while playing soccer two weeks ago.
Later on the same day, a brother (23) and sister (19) from Buffelshoek were admitted to Tintswalo Hospital after being struck by lightning while in their house.
Simon, a relative of the two siblings, said people in the Bushbuckridge villages believe lightning is not supposed to strike the same place twice.
"We are worried that evil people are selling muthi to people so they can attack the children of people they want to hurt," he said.
Hendrik Seoke, from Green Valley Village, said they suspect the lightning was unnatural.
"We saw a dark cloud in a shower of rain that lasted for about 10 minutes and then a life was lost. The rainy season is here so we need to find whoever is selling this muthi before we lose many lives," said Seoke.
The Komane family said the schoolboy was behaving strangely before his death.
"Shortly before he died he would wake up screaming at night, saying people were calling him," said the boy's mother, Bonagiye. She said she found her son lying dead in the school grounds.
"His body and clothes were burnt as if he had been set on fire," she said.
Senelisiwe Sibanyoni, co-ordinator of the Traditional Healers Organisation in Mpumalanga, condemned trading in lighting muthi.
"If anybody is really trading in this muthi and calling himself a sangoma he needs to be disqualified. Sangomas use muthi to perform good deeds, not to hurt people. This person is harming the image of sangomas," said Senelisiwe.
"We will be in the Bushbuckridge area next year to address issues around sangomas and muthi." - AENS
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