It’s a dirty little secret in South Africa, one that as of 2010, is once again on the rise. Called “muti murders” or “medicine murders” (sometimes termed “ritual murder” or muthi-murder), it takes its name from the Zulu word “muti”, the term for traditional black magic medicines that utilize human body parts and flesh as critical ingredients in order to produce supposedly miraculous medicinal effects. The phenomenon is widely acknowledged to occur in southern Africa where it is estimated that from 50%-90% of the population believe in black magic and witchcraft. The Limpopo province alone once recorded 250 muti-murders in a single year. Body parts from dead corpses serve a valuable purpose but the best muti medicine ingredients are taken from body parts that are harvested while the victim is still alive.
