Daily Sun (August 1 2014) - WHEN they heard about the sangoma's secret weapon, the thugs confessed everything.
They thought they'd got away with the perfect crime.
But they were bust by a "talking statue".
Victor Makhubele (34) told Daily Sun cops couldn't help him find his stolen liquor, so he went to sangoma Silver Makhubele. "I heard that Silver's talking statue, Xiwonhani, can point out thugs.
"The statue named the suspect and told us where he could be found," said the businessman from Zola extension, near Thulamahashe in Mpumalanga. "He even said where my stolen liquor was hidden.
"I didn't want to take the law into my own hands, so on Wednesday I called the cops and together we drove to the suspect's house.
"He confessed in front of the cops that he and his five friends broke into my tavern on Monday, stole liquor worth R14 000 and buried it in a cemetery."
The cops went to the cemetery but could not find the stolen goods.
They picked up the alleged thug's five friends, who confessed to digging up the liquor after hearing their alleged accomplice had been arrested.
They said they had sold it to another tavern owner, who was also arrested.
But later the same day, the alleged thugs and the tavern owner were released. Victor was not given any explanation. Sangoma Silver told the People's Paper that Xiwonhani would have dealt with the suspects, but Victor wanted to involve the cops.
"Xiwonhani would have taught the thugs a lesson they would never have forgotten," he said.
Captain Nelson Khoza told Daily Sun cops are investigating why the suspects were released.
"Drastic steps will be taken against those cops if they are found to have been on the wrong side of the law," he said.
Last year, thugs used muthi to make the family of Moses Nyathi (58), of Edinburg Village near Thulamahashe, sleep so deeply they didn't hear thieves leading 16 cattle out of their kraal. But Moses told Daily Sun the "talking statue" helped him get his cattle back.
See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....
The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 297,614 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 4th Quarter 2013) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.
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