Durban – After the mob murder of two men, police in eThekwini have embarked on an awareness campaign to dispel hoaxes claiming that children are being abducted for ritual purposes.
Two men were attacked and killed this week by angry Umlazi residents accusing them of this crime.
A traditional healer’s house and his three cars were also torched in KwaDabeka by residents who also accused him of abducting young children. The traditional healer managed to escape.
Police on Friday reiterated their plea to the community to stop spreading rumours.
“We are not aware of any abduction cases,” said police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker.
Naicker said no arrests had been made in connection with the murders, and that police did not know where the abduction rumours stemmed from.
The rumours, which started several weeks ago, had been spread in the south Durban communities of uMlazi, Folweni, Illovo and KwaMakhutha. There were reports that the hoax was based on the drama unfolding in Nigeria, where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted by terrorist group Boko Haram in April.
This week, two men fell victim to the rumours when they were killed by an angry mob in Umlazi. Scelo Dladla, 24, of F-Section, was attacked while walking with two men. The group accused the three, including a foreign national, of being part of the kidnapping gang and started attacking them…
South Africa Today – South Africa News
