However, I myself could hardly believe that His Excellency the Minister was telling the truth here. I therefore concluded this post with the remark that “(…) Minister Mohwasa’s statement may be theoretically true, in the strict sense of the law, but that says nothing about the fact that ritual murder does indeed occur in Botswana.”
The murder case described below is not a clear-cut case of ritualistic murder, as the author also concludes in the last paragraph. But when a body is found ‘with parts missing’ (as the saying goes), in particular the victim’s private parts or a body part which is considered essential, rumors emerge that the cause of death is related to ‘muti’, a killing for ritualistic proposes or motives, especially given the fact that a songoma is involved.
Read the full story below. (FVDK)
Botswana: Blood, betrayal and the sangoma’s secret
Published: March 29, 2026 By: Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News, Herald Online, Botswana
In the quiet, dust-swept lands of Gakuto, a tiny village north of Gaborone, a passer-by made a discovery that shattered Botswana’s perception of love and safety in matrimony.
In a place where cattle paths snake through scrub and silence often carries more weight than words, the unnamed passer-by stumbled upon the mutilated remains of a man whose body bore the hallmarks of a violent and deeply unsettling end.
Unknown at the time was that the dead man was a husband and father.
Whispers in Gakuto suggested that parts of the man’s body were missing. Reports later confirmed that the deceased had been buried without his tongue and private parts.
The victim was Timothy Segola, a recently retired lecturer from the University of Botswana, who had left his career with a handsome package said to be worth millions of pula.
His death unravelled into a chilling tale of love, greed, ritual and betrayal — one that drew in Zimbabwean traditional healer Stella Sibanda and gripped both Botswana and Zimbabwe.
A friend turned suspect
For years, Stella Sibanda had been a familiar figure to the Segola family — a trusted traditional doctor whose presence was woven into the rhythms of their lives. That made the allegations that followed all the more shocking.
Investigators alleged that Timothy’s wife, Malebogo Segola, conspired with Sibanda and her son, Maxwell, to spiritually subdue her husband and eventually murder him.
Sibanda was allegedly enlisted to “bewitch” Timothy, turning him into a compliant partner through a process known in Setswana as go mo hemisa.
The plan was to transform the retired academic into a “yes ma’am” husband. But somewhere between whispered incantations and shadowy intentions, the scheme spiralled into something far darker.
Timothy Segola ended up dead.
Stella Sibanda (right)
Love, money, betrayal
As investigators peeled back the layers of the case, a complex web of motives emerged.
There were claims of a clandestine affair between Malebogo and co-accused Alfred Gaseitsiwe. There were whispers of fortune, suggesting the widow stood to gain millions if Timothy died.
Sibanda herself made startling claims in court, alleging that Malebogo had long harboured intentions to kill her husband for P4,5 million.
What began as suspected ritual manipulation now appeared to be a murder conspiracy rooted in passion and profit. Timothy’s body, discovered in the open lands, bore signs of extreme violence.
Community accounts spoke of missing body parts, fuelling speculation of ritual elements. Reports from the popular Botswana podcast “Case by Case” claimed Sibanda performed a cleansing ritual on her co-accused after the murder, attempting to spiritually wash away blood that could not be unseen.
The fall and the flight
Arrested alongside her co-accused in July 2025, Sibanda’s troubles mounted quickly.
In court, she cut a subdued figure, speaking of children left behind. But the courts showed little sympathy. Her bids for freedom were rejected at every level — from the Magistrate’s Court to the High Court and even Botswana’s Court of Appeal.
State prosecutor Ms Seeletso Ookeditse remarked.
“One can imagine the amount of time the accused persons had to cover their tracks. We therefore need time to investigate, as there is likelihood of evidence being tampered with. It would not be in the best interest of justice for the accused persons to be released on bail.”
After repeated rejections, Sibanda took matters into her own hands. On 4 February she became the first woman in recent memory to escape from Gaborone Women’s Prison, a facility long considered secure.
The escape sent shockwaves through Botswana’s security establishment and triggered a nationwide manhunt. The last woman to escape prison had been another Zimbabwean back in 2004.
Her freedom was fleeting
In the early hours of a Thursday morning, in Gaborone’s Block 3, Sibanda was recaptured. Authorities praised citizen cooperation and promised tighter security measures.
The Botswana Prison Service said: “Prisoner Stella Sibanda, aged 50, who escaped from Gaborone Women’s Prison on February 4, has been recaptured at Gaborone Block 3. We extend our appreciation to members of the public and law enforcement agencies who worked tirelessly to ensure her recapture. Measures are being strengthened to prevent similar incidents in the future and the safety and security of the public remain our top priority.”
Now, Sibanda faces not only charges of murder — a capital offence under Section 203 of Botswana’s Penal Code, punishable by death by hanging — but also additional charges for her escape.
A story that refuses to rest
Before the saga, Sibanda had embraced modern platforms, advertising her services on social media.
With a cow’s tail (itshoba) and clay pots before her, she presented herself as the epitome of the modern traditional healer on TikTok. Among her followers were the Segola family, for whom the betrayal cuts deepest.
For Sibanda, the journey from healer to accused fugitive reads like a cautionary tale of how quickly the line between the spiritual and the sinister can blur.
For those watching, the case lingers — unresolved, unsettling and steeped in questions that refuse to rest. Was this a crime of passion? A plot driven by greed? Or something darker, rooted in beliefs that thrive in the shadows? Sibanda and her co-accused are set to return to court soon, as Botswana’s justice system prepares to untangle truth from rumour.
Twenty-five years after Aidan Minter made his shocking discovery, the case has been revisited in a new documentary, The Body in the River, which aired on Channel 5 (article included below).
The murder mystery was never solved. The boy’s identity remains unknown, the perpetrator(s) got away with their heinous crime.
I present the following article published by MyLondon.new for reasons of completeness though it contains little additional news compared to my previous posts.
It is followed by a Daily Mail article on the recently released documentary ‘Boy in the Thames Case’, available on Channel 5.
However, this also contains few new facts. Hence, the mystery remains. (webmaster FVD)
‘I saw a decapitated boy dumped in River Thames – one thing left me in utter disbelief’
Published: March 13, 2026 By: Daniel Windham – MyLondon
Aidan Minter
Aidan Minter says he will never forget the day he saw a headless boy’s body floating in the River Thames, a horrific discovery that has remained unsolved for more than two decades.
A man who discovered the mutilated body of a young boy in the River Thames has described the moment he realised what he was looking at as one of the most horrifying experiences of his life.
More than two decades after the shocking discovery, the case has been revisited in a new documentary, The Body in the River, which aired on Channel 5. Despite years of investigation, the child’s killer has never been brought to justice.
The victim — later named “Adam” by police — is believed to have been between four and seven years old and originally from Africa. Investigators concluded he had been trafficked into the UK before being brutally murdered in what experts believe was a ritual killing.
The grim discovery was made on September 21, 2001, when IT consultant Aidan Minter was crossing Tower Bridge and noticed something unusual drifting through the water below.
At first, he thought the object might be a shop mannequin with a piece of red cloth attached. But as it passed beneath the bridge, the horrifying truth became clear — it was the torso of a child.
Handout photo issued by ITV London Tonight of a child, named Adam by police(Image: PA)
Recalling the moment years later, Minter said the injuries immediately shocked him.
He told the programme: “So when I saw the the body as it floated under, I remember thinking that the amount of damage that have been done to it was just incredible. I was just in utter disbelief.
“It’s quite alarming when you see it up close because I was only about 30 ft away from me at the time. And the incoming tide was quite fast but it was long enough to see all of that detail.
“All of the injuries that had been inflicted on that. I’ve never seen anything like that before. And. I’ll never forget it. But it is probably one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Police recovered the body further upstream near Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre later that day.
Forensic analysis revealed the boy had died after his throat was cut. His arms, legs and head had all been deliberately removed, and those body parts have never been found.
Investigators also discovered he had been fed a strange mixture shortly before his death. Tests showed it contained African river clay, ground bone, vegetation and traces of gold and quartz. He had also been given small amounts of Calabar bean — a toxic plant known as the “doomsday bean” — which can cause paralysis while leaving a victim conscious.
Houses of Parliament, Thames River and Westminster Bridge in London(Image: Getty Images)
Experts concluded the killing was likely ritualistic, possibly linked to a distorted form of spiritual practices sometimes associated with “muti” killings or certain West African belief systems.
The case sparked international attention, prompting an appeal from former South African president Nelson Mandela.
He said: “The boy comes from somewhere in Africa, so if anywhere, even in the remotest village of our continent, there is a family missing a son of that age who might have disappeared around that time please contact the police.”
Despite a number of arrests over the years, no one has ever been charged with Adam’s murder.
Former Metropolitan Police commander Andy Baker, who worked on the investigation, believes crucial evidence still exists somewhere in London.
He said: “When you think what that child went through, someone out there knows what happened. Whether that’s the murderer himself or those involved in the murder. There must be a crime scene somewhere. And it’s in London.
“There must be a place where Adam was laid upside down, tilted, head down, and then brutally dismembered and had his throat cut in such a violent way.
Andy Baker of Metropolitan Police(Image: Channel 5)
“There will still be traces of blood at that premises, so even now I’d appeal to anyone who knows anything. If they know where it is, we can go and get that forensic evidence. And then it starts again.”
Over the years, detectives uncovered evidence linking the boy to Nigeria. Pollen samples and scientific analysis suggested he had lived near Benin City before being brought to Europe.
A woman named Joyce Osagiede later admitted she had cared for the boy in Hamburg, Germany, where she purchased the distinctive orange shorts he was wearing when his body was found. However, investigators were unable to gather enough evidence to charge her or anyone else.
Multiple theories emerged, including the possibility that the child — whose real name may have been Ikpomwosa or Patrick Erhabor — had been trafficked before his death.
In 2006, Adam was buried in an unmarked grave in London.
Today, the case remains one of the most disturbing unsolved murders in British criminal history. For those who worked on it — and for the man who first spotted the body — the lack of answers still weighs heavily.
Detective Nick Chalmers, who was part of the investigation, said: “This was an innocent young child. There are people responsible for his death who haven’t been brought to justice. Twenty years on, I wish we knew the identity of Adam – and his parents. In reality, he is a missing child from a family, who probably don’t know he’s buried here in London.”
‘The Body In The Thames’ is available to watch and stream on Channel 5
The longest unsolved child murder case in modern UK history could still be answered because ‘someone out there knows what happened’, a retired detective has said.
‘Adam’ was a name given by Scotland Yard to a young boy whose dismembered body was discovered floating in the River Thames in London on September 21, 2001.
The child’s identity remains unknown 25 years later with no one ever charged despite an investigation that took police to South Africa, Holland, Germany and Nigeria.
Adam, who is thought to have been a Nigerian boy aged five or six, is believed to have been trafficked to the UK via Germany then murdered in a ritualistic killing.
His body, which had the head and limbs severed, was discovered near the Globe Theatre and numerous high-profile appeals followed, including by then President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.
Now, a new Channel 5 documentary called ‘The Body in The River’ which aired last night has re-examined the heartbreaking and disturbing story of Adam.
Despite a series of people being arrested, there has never been a charge over his murder – but police still believe the evidence they need is somewhere in London.
Andy Baker, a former Metropolitan Police commander who worked on the investigation, has told the programme that the case could still be solved.
The spot near the Globe Theatre where the boy’s torso was found in the River Thames in 2001A photo was released in 2011 claiming to be Adam – but this claim was withdrawn a year laterA police officer shows a pair of shorts found on Adam when his torso was discovered in 2001
He said: ‘When you think what that child went through, someone out there knows what happened. Whether that’s the murderer himself or those involved in the murder. There must be a crime scene somewhere. And it’s in London.
‘There must be a place where Adam was laid upside down, tilted, head down, and then brutally dismembered and had his throat cut in such a violent way.
‘There will still be traces of blood at that premises, so even now I’d appeal to anyone who knows anything. If they know where it is, we can go and get that forensic evidence. And then it starts again.’
The boy’s body was discovered by a passing businessman called Aidan Minter who spotted it while walking across Tower Bridge just ten days after the 9/11 attacks.
He initially thought it was a tailor’s mannequin, but realised it was a child’s dismembered and decapitated torso – and police pulled this from the water.
Investigations found the black boy could have been in the water for up to ten days after having his throat slit. His arms, legs and head were all amputated.
Police had few clues on his identity, other than a pair of orange shorts he was wearing – but appealed to the public for help, including on Crimewatch.
Some 60 people called the BBC show in an attempt to help and detectives offered a reward of £50,000 for information that led to a murder conviction.
Police also took specialist pathologist advice from as far afield as Africa and carried out groundbreaking work on DNA and pollen samples inside the body.
Officers established that the boy had been drugged with a ‘black magic’ potion and sacrificed in a voodoo-style ritual killing before being thrown into the Thames.
They used pioneering techniques to trace radioactive isotopes in his bones to his native Nigeria – and even asked Mandela to appeal for information, which he did.
But they always struggled to identify the boy, despite travelling to Nigeria to try to trace his family. Detailed analysis of a substance in the boy’s stomach was identified as a potion which included tiny clay pellets containing small particles of pure gold.
Andy Baker, a former Metropolitan Police commander who worked on the Adam investigation, has told a new Channel 5 documentary that the case could still be solved 25 years laterA graphic prepared by Scotland Yard detectives investigating the murder of Adam in 2001ITV News tracked down Joyce Osagiede in Nigeria in 2011, and she said Adam was the boy in the photo – and his real name was Ikpomwosa, although withdrew this claim one year later
This indicated that Adam had suffered a Muti ritual killing, when a victim’s body parts are removed and used by witchdoctors as ‘medicine’ based on a belief that the body parts of children are sacred. The bodies are then often disposed of in flowing water.
Another theory was he was a human sacrifice linked to Yoruban beliefs in Nigeria, in an offering to the goddess Oshun – typically associated with water and fertility.
Police had a breakthrough in July 2002 when social workers in Glasgow were alerted to the safety of two girls living with their African mother Joyce Osagiede.
She had ritualistic objects in her home and spoke about cults, killings and of sacrifices during a family court hearing – which led to police searching her property.
Detectives found clothes with the ‘Kids & Company’ label – the same one as on Adam’s shorts – and in the same sizes as his clothing. Osagiede was then arrested.
Officers never charged her, but by December that year police had determined his birthplace to a strip of land around Benin City in Nigeria – Osagiede’s home city.
German police discovered she had lived in Hamburg until late 2001 – the city where the orange shorts found on Adam’s body were believed to have been purchased.
Osagiede was eventually deported after the Home Office rejected her asylum application but disappeared after arriving in Lagos on a chartered private jet.
Officers found she had a contact in her phone for a man called Mousa Kamara, and discovered evidence of Nigerian rituals known as Juju at his London home.
Kamara, whose real name turned out to be Kingsley Ojo, was arrested but released on bail because there was no evidence directly linking him to Adam’s murder.
Police did however charge Ojo with people smuggling and using fake documents to obtain a passport and driving licence. He pleaded guilty and was jailed for four years.
Kingsley Ojo was arrested but released on bail because there was no evidence directly linking him to Adam’s murder. Police did however charge Ojo with other offences and he was jailedDetective Inspector Will O’Reilly and John Azah lay a wreath on the Thames for Adam in 2002
While in prison, Ojo contacted police and said he wanted to help track down the killer, feeding them information for two years following his release. But officers eventually determined they could not rely on him, and he was deported back to Nigeria in 2008.
By 2011, another lead came when police searched through Osagiede’s belongings left with a friend in Germany and found a photo of a boy aged about five taken in 2001.
ITV News tracked down Osagiede in Nigeria, and she claimed Adam was the boy in the photo – and his real name was Ikpomwosa. She said she looked after him then gave him to a man called Bawa. But detectives could not positively identify the boy.
One year later, Osagiede’s brother Victor contacted BBC News and said the boy in the photo was in fact not Adam or ‘Ikpomwosa’. A reporter travelled to Benin City and found Osagiede, but she appeared confused and gave two other names for Adam.
Osagiede also identified someone in photo as ‘Bawa’ – which was actually a picture of Ojo. The BBC then tracked down Ojo in Nigeria but he continued to deny involvement in Adam’s murder and no evidence has ever linked him to the crime.
Since 2013 the investigation has become a ‘cold case’ with no significant new lines of enquiry – and Victor confirmed in 2020 that Osagiede had died in Nigeria.
Police launched an appeal on the 20th anniversary, with Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran saying the case remaining unsolved was ‘incredibly sad and frustrating’.
Speaking in 2021, she added: ‘We recognise people may not have wanted to speak up at the time and may have felt loyal to the person or people involved in this.
‘However, over the past 20 years, allegiances and relationships may have changed and some people may now feel more comfortable talking to us.’
The case has remained unsolved since then, but Scotland Yard will be hoping that the documentary could change this. The Daily Mail has contacted the force for comment.
‘The Body In The Thames’ is available to watch and stream on Channel 5
Warning: the article presented below contains graphic details of torture and murder that some readers may find distressing.
The main thrust of the article presented below was already the focus of an 2014 article which I posted in 2019, Children accused of witchcraft: abuse cases on the rise in UK. More than ten year after the publication of the first-mentioned article there is reason to again draw attention to this terrifying phenomenon. It is difficult to imagine that in our immediate environment children are abused, tortured, and sometimes killed because of the belief in witchcraft of the adult perpetrators, sometimes close relatives.
It all began with the discovery of the mutilated torso of a young boy floating in the river Thames, in 2001. The police gave him the name ‘Adam’ and under this name the poor victim became known worldwide. I have covered in much detail the horrific and sickening discovery and the harrowing story behind it. See my posts entitled The unsolved case of the torso in the Thames, Part I (dated March 25, 2019), Part II (March 27, 2019) and Part III (March 28, 2019).
Unfortunately, the case of ‘Adam’ does not stand alone as the article below amply demonstrates.
We must all be vigilant in identifying signs of child abuse and other crimes promptly and bringing them to the immediate attention of the authorities and relevant agencies. Vulnerable individuals in our society, such as young children, deserve a normal, loving life, free from threats and pain. (webmaster FVDK)
The disturbing evidence that witchcraft is spreading across Britain unchecked… 30 years after discovery of horrific voodoo-style murder should have ended it for good
Published: February 26, 2026 By: Aidan Radnedge and Nick Pyke, The Daily Mail
A quarter of a century has passed since the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie and the shocking realisation that voodoo-style murder and abuse were taking hold in the capital of a modern, affluent democracy.
Victoria met a horrific end. Tortured, beaten with implements including coat hangers and a bike chain, deliberately scalded and forced to sleep in a bin liner in a freezing bathroom, she finally died of multiple organ failure at the age of eight. Her tiny body, weighing just 3st 10lb, was marked by 128 separate injuries.
Her ‘crime’? The girl was said by relatives to have been possessed by ‘kindoki’, or evil spirits, requiring exorcism by a pastor and justifying a campaign of sadistic violence.
The killing in 2000 and the public enquiry that followed should have been seismic: a warning to the public and politicians that, however improbable, belief in witchcraft was emerging as a fact of life in Britain.
Yet today, despite the horror of Victoria’s death and subsequent cases, there is disturbing evidence that ritual violence – involving beliefs and practices overwhelmingly imported from abroad – is continuing to spread unchecked.
The latest official figures show a huge increase in the number of children identified as potential victims of abuse ‘linked to faith or belief’, a category including claims of witchcraft and spirit possession.
Analysis released late last year by the Local Government Association, representing councils and their social services departments in England, found there had been 2,180 cases of possible faith-linked abuse in 2024, a disturbing 49 per cent increase in the seven years since 2017.
Moreover, the true scale of the problem could be significantly worse amid fears that ritual abuse is routinely under-reported because social workers and others wish to avoid being labelled racist.
Among the most notorious cases was eight-year-old Victoria Climbié, tortured to death in 2000 by relatives who believed she was possessed
With motives ranging from ignorance and fear to the demented belief that human sacrifice confers supernatural protection, and even wealth, the cases that do reach the public eye are harrowing, the majority with links to sub-Saharan Africa.
A recent documentary film, Kindoki Witch Boy, tells the story of Mardoche Yembi, who had been sent from the Democratic Republic of Congo to live with his aunt and uncle in North London.
At the age of 12, Mardoche was branded a witch by relatives, accused of bringing bad luck and subjected to two months of traumatic exorcisms. The film is now available on YouTube.
An even more disturbing case took place on Christmas Day in 2010, when 15-year-old Kristy Bamu was beaten and drowned by his sister and her boyfriend in the London borough of Newham after being accused of ‘kindoki’, like Victoria Climbie.
Kristy endured four days of torture with knives, sticks, metal bars, a hammer and pliers. He drowned after being forced into a bath for ritual cleansing. Kristy’s siblings were also beaten but survived because they ‘confessed’ to being witches.
Magalie Bamu, then 29, and her partner Eric Bikubi, 28 – both Congolese – were jailed for life in 2012.
In sentencing them, the judge said: ‘The belief in witchcraft, however genuine, cannot excuse an assault to another person, let alone the killing of another human being.’
There are accusations of ‘possession’ in other cultures, too, with cases of abuse reported in Christian, Hindu and Muslim families, where some still believe in the idea of evil spirits known as ‘djinns’.
Just days before Kristy’s Bamu’s murder, Shayma Ali strangled then disembowelled her four-year-old daughter with a kitchen knife during a frenzied attempt to exorcise the girl.
Ali, who had gouged out the eyes of her daughter’s dolls to prevent them ‘seeing evil’, was sent to a mental hospital.
In 2005, two women were jailed at the Old Bailey after being convicted of child cruelty for torturing and threatening to kill an orphaned child refugee from Angola whom they claimed was a witch.
The Old Bailey was told that the girl, known only as Child B, was starved, cut with a knife, beaten with a belt and a shoe and had chilli peppers rubbed in her eyes to drive ‘the devil out of her’.
At one point, the eight-year-old was bundled into a zip-up laundry bag and told she would be ‘thrown away’ into a river. She was rescued after being found in her bare feet, shivering, outside a council house in Hackney.
His head, arms and legs had been removed in what detectives believe was a ritual killing, potentially as a sacrifice or in a ‘muti’ ceremony, in which body parts are taken in the belief they produce potent magical remedies.
The boy, aged between four and seven and found wearing only a pair of orange shorts, had recently arrived from Nigeria.
Britain’s leading rituals expert, Dr Richard Hoskins, brought into advise on the case, concluded that Adam was a victim of human sacrifice.
Victoria Climbié had been sent to England by her parents who hoped she would gain a better education than in her native Ivory CoastVictoria’s parents set up the Victoria Climbié Foundation following her death, campaigning for improvements to child protection in the UK
His 2012 book on the subject, The Boy in the River was serialised in The Mail on Sunday and is now scheduled to be dramatised as a feature film.
Dr Hoskins concluded that the boy had been trafficked to London, speculating that he was butchered while drugged but conscious by a ‘babalawo’ witchdoctor using rituals from the Yoruba people Osagiede of south-west Nigeria.
In Yoruban religion, wrote Dr Hoskins, ‘deities forming a bridge between this world and higher realms require sacrifice.
‘Not necessarily human sacrifice, of course, and especially not nowadays, but the practice persists in some deviant offshoots.’
In 2002, a Nigerian woman called Joyce Osagiede told Glasgow social workers that she had married a member of a cult called The Black Coat Eyes Of The Devil Guru Maharaj.
When later interviewed by British police in Lagos, she said she had been a cult organiser and had bought a pair of orange-red shorts similar to those found on Adam. She added: ‘I know he was killed in Lewisham.’
Osagiede later claimed to an ITV journalist that she had brought Adam to London and that his real name was Ikpomwosa. No one has ever been charged with his murder.
Yet it is the fate of Victoria Climbié that today remains the most notorious case of witchcraft abuse and killing in this country.
Victoria had been sent to England by her parents to gain a better education than in her native Ivory Coast but found only misery and death.
Victoria Climbié was starved, tortured, beaten with bike chains and kept prisoner in a freezing bathroom by her great-aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her partner Carl Manning (pictured)Marie-Therese Kouao (left), Victoria Climbié’s great-aunt, was complicit in her murder
Her great-aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her partner Carl Manning were jailed for life in 2001, convicted of murder and child cruelty.
The case was followed by a major public enquiry under Lord Laming which, in turn led to an overhaul of child protection measures in the UK, including the landmark 2004 Children Act.
Even now, ritual violence receives all-too-little attention, says Lancaster University’s Professor Charlotte Baker, who is co-director of the International Network Against Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks.
‘If you spoke to many people about this issue, they’d think it was something from about 1,400 years ago,’ she told The Daily Mail last week.
‘Many schoolteachers might feel they shouldn’t ‘go there’, if they suspect something is taking place because they’re not comfortable handling such issues.
‘This needs to be treated seriously, disclosures need to be treated seriously – and the right questions need to be asked.
‘The UK must improve and make sure that anyone who does speak up to make disclosures about this abuse being carried out are taken seriously and responded to professionally.’
Former Conservative MP Tim Loughton, children’s minister in David Cameron’s coalition government and later chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, had his own experience of trying to combat ritual abuse.
Victoria’s parents Berthe and Francis are pictured at her grave in Kensal Rise Crematorium in London, along with daughter Joelle, in 2003 on the third anniversary of Victoria’s deathA boy named Adam’s head, arms and legs were removed in what detectives believe was a ritual ‘muti’ killing – his torso was discovered in the River Thames near Tower Bridge in 2001
‘The particular problem [at the time] was among communities of migrants from places such as the Congo, which were very closed communities, mostly but not exclusively in London, with very evangelical Christian church settings,’ he recalls.
‘There were very strange practices, all connected with voodoo – abusing children in attempts to drive the devil out of them and all this sort of nonsense.’
During his time in office, he launched a task force on faith-based child abuse, but he fears that official attention has now slipped.
Rohma Ullah, director of the National FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) Centre – which also tackles what it refers to as witchcraft and spirit possession abuse – is among those who believe frontline staff are wary of raising the alarm.
‘Witchcraft and spirit possession are among the most poorly understood areas in child protection,’ she says. ‘That’s really concerning and alarming. We know the data is not good enough and that professionals don’t know how to act. They don’t know what to do.
‘Professionals are anxious about discussing someone’s faith or beliefs because it’s very personal.
‘They fear being accused of being racist, for example – and so questions don’t get asked and opportunities get missed.’
She says that teachers as well as social workers should be alert to signs of abuse – such as, for example, a child appearing tired through having to pray all night to be rid of a devil inside them, or losing weight because food is being withheld at home.
15-year-old Kristy Bamu was beaten and drowned on Christmas Day 2010 by his sister and her boyfriend in east London after being accused of being a witchFollowing the murder, Magalie Bamu (left) and Eric Bikubi (right) were jailed for life
‘I would say the situation is fragmented,’ she continues. ‘Social workers are skilled in safeguarding, teachers are skilled in educating, police officers are skilling in preventing and addressing crime – but they also need to be equipped with specialist knowledge on this particular issue.’
Ms Ullah suggests the current figures, disturbing as they are, ‘probably don’t reflect the true prevalence of something that’s very hidden.’
She believes allegations of witchcraft and spirit possession receive too little attention when abusers to court and suggests they should be flagged as aggravating features when the perpetrators are sentenced.
And witchcraft has now been included for the first time in new toughened-up Crown Prosecution Guidance, published today in a bid to tackle ‘honour’-based abuse, forced marriage and other abuses.
Newly included in guidance for prosecutors are practices such as dowry abuse, immigration-related exploitation, transnational marriage abandonment and spiritual or ritualistic abuse linked to beliefs in witchcraft, spirit possession or demonic influence.
While there is no standalone withcraft-related offence, the Home Office said: ‘Prosecutors must treat these cases as serious criminality within the wider context of harmful practices and “honour”-based abuse, assessing which offences may apply on a case-by-case basis.’
Baljit Ubhey, CPS director of policy, said: ‘Our updated guidance equips prosecutors to identify emerging patterns of abuse, understand the wider context in which it occurs, and take swift, effective action to safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.’
It is not as if we haven’t been warned. It is more than a decade since the United Nations reported: ‘Hundreds of children have been abducted from their families in Africa and trafficked to the UK, especially London. Many are raped and sexually abused.’
Commenting in The Mail on Sunday at the time, Dr Hoskins went further, arguing that ‘London has become the hub, the epicentre for a global trafficking enterprise involving thousands of children for exploitation, sexual abuse and even, in some unspeakable cases, ritual voodoo killing…’
‘There is a vast reservoir of lost children gathering in our own capital anonymously shuffled from flat to shabby flat – a dark pool feeding child exploitation and misery across the planet.’
Today’s evidence suggests that, chillingly, this terrible picture might now be darker still.
‘That is not African tradition’: Traditional healers condemn muthi murders and child abuse in South Africa
Published: January 12, 2026 By: Jonisayi Maromo – IOL, South Africa
South Africa has for decades grappled with the scourge of child mutilation and abuse cases in which body parts, especially those of children, are used in brutal rituals purported to enhance wealth or bring good fortune.
In some instances, children are sexually abused as part of so-called rituals falsely believed to provide healing or prosperity for the perpetrator.
Traditional healers, commonly known as sangomas, are often implicated in these heinous acts. Some have been arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS), while others have been attacked by community members when such incidents come to light.
During an intensive police operation at Hlabeni, under the Saselamani policing area, officers arrested the two suspects. One of them, a traditional healer from Muraga village under the Thohoyandou policing precinct, was allegedly found in possession of the severed heads of the victims.
“Further police investigations led the members to the residence of a 38-year-old traditional healer at Muraga village under the Thohoyandou precinct. The traditional healer was allegedly found in possession of the missing heads of the two victims and was also placed under arrest,” Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said at the time.
Police said a credible lead resulted in the discovery of the bodies of the mother and child, after which the suspects were immediately linked to the crime and arrested.
Against this backdrop, IOL this week travelled to Ekangala, and spoke to celebrity sangoma Mandla Lekhuleni, popularly known as Prof Lekhuleni, on the sidelines of a traditional celebration attended by healers from South Africa and Mozambique.
“Speaking the truth does not break any friendship or a spaza shop. Those people using body parts of children or albinos — that is a crime. There is no such thing,” Lekhuleni said. “Since I started practising, I was never taught that if you want money or your business to grow, you must kill someone or use human blood. That is 100% criminal.”
He rejected claims that human sacrifice forms part of African traditional healing.
“I hear people saying sangomas use human sacrifices to make people rich. That is not what I learnt or what my gobela taught me. I was taught to go to the mountains, to rivers, to dig and collect medicine from nature — herbs that help uplift a person who is down,” he said.
Traditional medicine and rituals are widely believed across South Africa and in Africa to help cure illnesses or improve people’s livelihoods. Lekhuleni, who has a large social media following, regularly shares content about traditional healing practices.
“In my indumba (traditional room where a sangoma practices), you will never find even a small human bone. Killing someone to make another person rich is not African traditional medicine. African traditional medicine uses herbs, sometimes combined with iziwasho ,” he said.
“That is pure criminality, and I am willing to assist the police. Wherever such so-called traditional healers are found, I will work with the police to ensure they are arrested and never practise again. They must never see the light of day.”
Lekhuleni said traditional healers across the Southern African Development Community were increasingly alarmed by the rise in so-called muthi murders and were working together to combat the practice.
From Maputo, Mozambique, prominent traditional healer Rei Magoxa said ritual killings had tarnished the work of genuine African traditionalists.
“As someone representing SADC, I want to make it clear that this is not our habit and not from us as traditional healers,” he said. “Traditional healers do not do this. Perhaps there are people with bad habits using our name, but we do not know where this comes from.”
“The law must take its course against such people, because this is not part of African traditional healing,” Magoxa added.
Academic and traditional health practitioner Sefadi Mohami echoed these sentiments, describing perpetrators of muthi murders as criminals masquerading as healers.
“That is not us, and it cannot be done under our name,” Mohami said. “As traditional healers, we are custodians of African traditions and amadlozi (ancestors). We represent those who walked before us, including kings and queens, and our work must be carried out with dignity.”
Mohami, who is affiliated with the SADC University of African Medicine, said the institution had taken a firm stance against ritual killings and child abuse.
“We are saying no to ritual killings. We are saying no to the abuse of children and to children being molested in the name of traditional healing. That is not us,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is happening under our name, but those responsible are thugs and have nothing to do with African traditional healing.”
Gauteng spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Lumka Mahanjana, said a charge of premeditated murder was also added against the baby’s mother, Kuneuwe Portia Shalaba.
The 32-year-old mother was previously facing charges of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery and making a false statement to the police.
“It is alleged that on 10 November 2024, the mother of the child (Kuneuwe) took the child to the sangoma (Khounyana) and requested him to kill her child because she was not happy with the gender of the baby and was tired of hiding it from her family. The child (Kutlwano) was a girl,” said Mahanjana.
“The mother then allegedly fed the baby poison, and after the baby died, it is alleged that the two took the child and buried her body in a shallow grave in Waterpan.”
It’s impressive how the police uncovered everything, but it never led to a rial. The perpetrators went unpunished. A painful thought. (webmaster FVDK)
The photo Joyce Osagiede claimed to be Adam (Image: PA)
Mystery of boy’s torso found in Thames after ‘voodoo ritual’ remains decades later
Published: September 7, 2025 By: Saskia Rowlands – The Mirror, UK
More than two decades since little Adam’s torso was discovered in the river Thames, police are no closer to finding the boy’s killer after he was slaughtered in a horrific “voodoo ritual”
The child’s torso was dressed in orange shorts (Image: PA)
The torso of a little boy from Africa was found in London’s river Thames over two decades ago – but his killer is still on the loose.
An investigation found the youngster, aged between four and seven, was smuggled into Britain and slaughtered as part of a horrific voodoo ritual. Tests proved he had been plied with a powerful potion of gold dust and quartz, drugged into paralysis with a type of African bean and had his throat slit.
But despite several arrests and forensic breakthroughs over the years, nobody has been brought to justice for the horrific crime. As the 24th anniversary of the horror approaches, we take a fresh look at the evidence and how the story unfolded.
Officers recovered the body upstream (Image: SWNS)
The discovery
On September 21 2001, IT consultant Aidan Minter was walking across London’s Tower Bridge when he caught sight of something floating in the water. It was just 10 days after the 9/11 attacks in the US and the city was still strangely quiet.
At first, Aidan thought it was a shop mannequin with a red cloth attached to it. But as the object passed under the bridge and out the other side, he realised he was in fact staring at a headless child.
It’s a memory Aidan lives with to this day. He said during an interview in 2020: “I do think about him – I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.” Police pulled the body from the water upstream, close to the Globe Theatre, later that day. They named him Adam.
Aidan Minter spotted the torso in the river (Image: BBC NEWS)
The first week
Early investigations suggested Adam’s body may have been in the water for as long as 10 days. Police conclude he died from having his throat slit. His arms, legs and head had all been expertly amputated. The body parts have never been found.
There were no signs of physical or sexual abuse, and he had been well fed. He was wearing nothing but a pair of orange shorts – something which later gave officers their first breakthrough. The label indicated they were made by firm Kids & Company and the size and colour could only be found in a small number of shops in Germany.
Detective sergeant Nick Chalmers was one of the police officers assigned to the case and says it was the strangest and most complex of his career. He added: “You definitely have a tie to a case, and there’s this drive to find answers. The one thing that has lingered is the frustration that we didn’t find all the answers.”
Retired detective Nick Chalmers worked on the investigation (Image: BBC NEWS)
African connection
Tests showed Adam had lived in Africa until shortly before his death. Because his body had been precisely butchered, experts decided it had been a ritualistic murder.
Some thought it was a rare so-called “muti” killing found in southern Africa – when a victim’s body parts are removed and used by witchdoctors. Others said it was more likely a human sacrifice linked to a twisted version of Yoruban belief systems from Nigeria.
Nelson Mandela later made an impassioned plea to the African public for help, saying: “The boy comes from somewhere in Africa, so if anywhere, even in the remotest village of our continent, there is a family missing a son of that age who might have disappeared around that time please contact the police.”
Nelson Mandela made an impassioned plea (Image: Mirrorpix)
Breakthrough
In July 2002, social workers in Glasgow became concerned for the safety of two girls living with their mum, an African woman named Joyce Osagiede. Council workers found bizarre, ritualistic objects in her home. And at a court hearing to take the children into care, Joyce told an alarming story of cults, killings and sacrifices.
Joyce Osagiede was considered a key witness (Image: BBC NEWS)
DS Nick Chalmers searched her home and found clothes with the same Kids & Company label and in the same sizes as Adam’s orange shorts. Joyce is arrested.
Officers were convinced Joyce was an important part of the story, but she was confused and kept changing her account. She denied knowing Adam, but was unable to explain the extraordinary coincidence about the shorts. Officers lacked enough evidence to charge Joyce. She remained in Glasgow awaiting an asylum decision.
The shorts were from a brand called Kids and Company (Image: SWNS)
September – November 2002
Forensic work narrowed down Adam’s birthplace to land near Benin City in Nigeria, which is Joyce’s home city. Pollen samples in his gut showed he had been living in the south-east of England for a few days or weeks before his death. Also in his stomach was an unusual substance made of African river clay – including vegetation, ground bone and traces of gold and quartz. The presence of ash showed the mixture had been burned before Adam ate it.
In November, Joyce was deported after the Home Office rejected her asylum application. She vanishes after landing in Lagos. Afterwards, German police say she lived in Hamburg until late 2001, which is the city where Adam’s shorts were purchased.
July – October 2003
A man named Kingsley Ojo is arrested as part of several human trafficking raids in London. Police discovered he was one of two contacts on Joyce’s phone. And during a search of his house, officers find an animal skull pierced with a nail, liquid potions, packets of sand and a videotape labelled ‘rituals’ which showed an adult being beheaded.
Kingsley Ojo was jailed with four charges of people smuggling and using fake documents (Image: PA)
Meanwhile, botanists at London’s Kew Gardens analysed samples of a plant found in Adam’s gut and discovered he was fed small amounts of Calabar bean, sometimes known as the Doomsday, and used in witchcraft ceremonies in West Africa. The dosage found would have paralysed Adam but not prevented any pain. Ground up seeds from the Datura plant, which acts as a sedative and causes hallucinations, were also found.
Traces of so-called Doomesday seeds were found in Adam’s stomach (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
July – December 2004
Kingsley Ojo was jailed with four charges of people smuggling and using fake documents to obtain a passport and driving licence. He was said to have performed ‘juju’ ceremonies for other inmates behind bars.
An inquest into Adam’s death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, hearing that he died from neck wounds suffered while he was still alive.
Adam was laid to rest in an unmarked grave( Image: BBC NEWS)
2005 – 2008
Kingsley Ojo offered to help the team investigating Adam’s death and claims he has secret recordings of Joyce. While awaiting deportation, he convinced officers he could help and spent two years feeding them information.
In December 2006, Adam’s body was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in a London cemetery. And two years later, Ojo is deported back to Nigeria after detectives decide they can’t rely on him.
In Nigeria, Joyce Osagiede finally admits she looked after Adam when she had lived in Hamburg in northern Germany and bought the orange shorts found on his body. A social worker assessing benefit claims later says she met Joyce on several occasions when she was in Hamburg and remembers seeing her with a small boy who she believes was Adam.
March 2011 – 2012
Joyce Osagiede claimed a photo found among her belongings in Germany was of Adam. She said his real name was Ikpomwosa and that she had looked after the boy, but gave him to a man called Bawa.
The following year, Joyce’s brother Victor said the boy in the photo was not Adam, claiming it was a misunderstanding. The BBC later met with Victor and Joyce who said the boy in the image was actually called Danny – who was later tracked down in Hamburg.
Joyce then suggests Adam was called Patrick Erhabor. She later identifies the man Bawa as trafficker Kingsley Ojo. Ojo continues to deny links to Adam’s killing and no evidence of his involvement is found.
The photo Joyce claimed to be Adam(Image: PA)
September 2021 – present
The Met Police launch a fresh appeal to find Adam’s killer to mark the 20 year anniversary of his body being found. The previous year, Joyce’s brother Victor revealed Joyce had died.
Aidan Minter, who spotted the body in the river, was diagnosed with acute post-traumatic stress disorder. He says he felt utterly helpless, knowing his discovery was somebody’s son.
For retired detective Nick Chalmers, the lack of answers is deeply frustrating. He said: “This was an innocent young child. There are people responsible for his death who haven’t been brought to justice. Twenty years on, I wish we knew the identity of Adam – and his parents. In reality, he is a missing child from a family, who probably don’t know he’s buried here in London.”
Warning: the following post contains graphic details which may upset readers.
Unbelievable. It is incredible. Within a week I receive reports of ritual killings in Eswatini, Nigeria (Enugu and Kwara states), South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. I fear the reported cases are only the tip of the iceberg as many ritual murders – called muthi murders in Southern Africa, and money rituals in Nigeria and Ghana – go unnoticed. People simply disappear in many African states and they are never heard from again. ‘Dissolved in thin air.’
In Zimbabwe, a baby boy was found dead, murdered. The body of the eight weeks old victim was found with parts missing: his nose and right cheek were ripped off. Police are investigating the murder as a suspected ritual killing.
Warning: the following story and accompanying photo may upset people because of their graphic nature (FVDK).
I post the following article ‘as it is‘: I have virtually no comments – neither do I confirm the truthfulness of the incident reported nor do I present or suggest my belief in the superstition which forms the base and background of the alleged act, bizarre as it is.
Reportedly, Dr Alunamutwe Enos Randitsheni wrote a thesis on ritual murders – ‘muti’ murders – while doing his PhD at the University of Venda, and actually said that evil people who believed in such weird practices, such as sucking out someone’s blood, did in fact exist. (italics added by the webmaster FVDK).
“They don’t only exist in Vhembe, but they exist all over the world, and most of them perform these rituals for various reasons but mostly for personal gains,” Dr Dr Alunamutwe Enos Randitsheni alleged, adding that the Tshivenda name for such people was madzhavhathu (cannibals). According to Dr Alunamutwe Enos Randitsheni, most victims are women, children, and people living with albinism. (FVDK)
‘Vampire’ who attacks old lady killed by angry mob
Published: June 7, 2024 By: Zoutnet, South Africa
A wave of fear and panic has gripped Vhembe District as reports of alleged vampire attacks have surfaced, leading to tragic and violent responses from local communities. In a recent shocking incident, a man accused of being a vampire was beaten to death and burnt by residents of Shikunduville in the Saselamani area.
The tragedy unfolded on Sunday, 26 May, when a man, after reportedly biting an elderly woman on the mouth in Shikunduville, was accused of being a vampire. The woman’s screams for help drew the attention of other members of the community, who rushed to her aid. In their attempt to rescue the victim, the crowd turned their fury on the alleged attacker.
Despite their assault, the man continued his attack, displaying unusual resistance to the beating. The escalating violence culminated in the community’s beating him to death and subsequently burning his body. The traumatic event has left the residents of Shikunduville deeply unsettled and fearful.
The chairperson of the SANCO branch in Saselamani B, Mr Solomon Mathonsi, said the community was still living in fear. “I was at church that Sunday, so I did not see the incident as it unfolded. I was told that the deceased, who worked at a local farm, was going to send money to his family in Mozambique when he started fighting with one of his relatives. He ran away and tried to get inside a neighbour’s house, and a dog attacked him, which forced him to run to another neighbour. He allegedly threatened her that he would bite her and rape her. He attacked her severely, injuring her face, and she looks scary now. Her mouth looks like it is about to be removed, and she appears as if she was attacked by a vicious animal. When the mob was fighting against him, he was roaring like an animal. He looked like he was possessed by evil spirits. We are now left in fear, both young and old,” he said.
According to the police spokesperson in Vhembe, W/O Vuledzani Dathi, the police in Saselamani opened a murder docket after a 29-year-old man was allegedly killed by the community in Shikunduville. He confirmed that the man had been accused of attacking an elderly woman on Sunday, 26 May.
“The police went to house no. 401 in Shikunduville and found the owner, Mr Sam Maceke. The deceased was lying on the ground, wearing black shorts and a black T-shirt. He had injuries on the face and legs. He was tied up with a rope. Mr Maceke told the police that his mother, old lady Nwajaki Priscinah Chauke, was bitten on the mouth by an unknown male person.”
Dathi said the community members had assaulted the male person and tied him up with a rope. “He died at the scene of the crime. He was later identified as Surprise Maluleke of Maineville, a Mozambican with no passport or legal documents. He is said to have been born around 1995. He was taken to Tshilidzini Hospital’s Forensic Pathology department. No arrests have been made so far, and anyone who can assist the police in apprehending the culprits may contact the investigating officer, Sgt Gunguva, on 082 664 6843,” Dathi said.
A 30-second video of old lady Nwajaki Priscinah Chauke narrating how she was attacked started circulating on social media on Wednesday, 29 May. In the footage, Chauke, who can be seen sitting down, wearing a yellow ANC T-shirt and drinking water, said, “He did this to me because he was roaming around my yard. When I asked him what he was looking for, he quickly turned, pushed me, and got inside my house,” she said, speaking in Xitsonga.
The injured lady is currently recovering from her wounds at home.
The incident incited a lot of fear among community members in Vhembe, with many wondering whether creatures such as vampires really exist in Vhembe.
Dr Alunamutwe Enos Randitsheni, who based his thesis on ritual murders in Vhembe while he was doing his PhD at the University of Venda in 2015, said that, during his investigation, he had found that evil people who believed in such weird practices, such as sucking out someone’s blood, did in fact exist.
“They don’t only exist in Vhembe, but they exist all over the world, and most of them perform these rituals for various reasons but mostly for personal gains,” he said. He said the Tshivenda name for such people was madzhavhathu (cannibals).
He added that most of their victims were women, children, and people living with albinism.
The old lady, Nwajaki Priscinah Chauke, who was attacked by an alleged vampire at Shikunduville. Photo: Video screen shot.
Unfortunately, ‘muti’ murders and violence related to ‘muti’ – literally: traditional medicine, but in practice closely associated with witchcraft – are no exception in Southern Africa notably in the Republic of South Africa. Numerous cases have been reported on this site (for specific cases: please use the scroll down menu ‘African countries’ to access ‘South Africa’).
The accompanying article presented below also confirms this sad and often cruel realty which is widespread in South Africa and neighboring countries. Reportedly, an academic investigation revealed that in South Africa alone, in 2001 almost 2500 individuals were caught with body parts in their possession, a frightening statistic. Moreover, discovered bodies with parts missing are no exception whereas it is very likely that some bodies are never found and thus, reported cases of ‘muti’ violence and murder constitute in fact the tip of the iceberg. (FVDK)
South African Man Abducted, Hands Amputated in Suspected Muti Attack
Published: March 24, 2024 By: Atlas News
What You Need to Know:
A 30-year-old walking during the early hours of the morning in Vosman, near Witbank, was attacked by six unidentified assailants on March 20th. The man had his hands and feet bound, and was told by his attackers that they planned to kill him. Instead, the attackers took the victim into a bush, amputated both of the victims hands, and took off with his body parts, leaving him to die.
Security services arrived at the scene and the man is currently recovering in hospital. Police have opened a case of attempted murder, but have yet made no breakthroughs in locating the attackers.
Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, Provincial Police Commissioner in Mpumalanga stated, “though the victim was not killed however the acts committed by the suspects are heartless and should be strongly condemned in the strongest possible way.”
The Details:
Muti, also known as umuthi in Zulu, is an alternative word for medicine in some localities but colloquially refers to witchcraft. Muti is characterized by the use of body parts in rituals to bring protection or strength to an individual or tribe. Oftentimes, victims are healthy young males, or the strongest warrior from a rival tribe.
‘Muti murders’ involve the ritual killing of an individual for the use of the victims body parts in creating ‘magical medicine.’ As stated by Harriet Ngubane, a South African Anthropologist, “in a definable part of southern African medical practice … ethics permit a practitioner to recommend in certain special cases a ritual killing.”
“Ritual homicide [carries] very high professional fees … The inyanga [expert] who prescribes a muti homicide … arrives at his advice … within the … worldview of African traditional medicine.”
However, with ritual killing now illegal in South Africa, attacks on individuals which stop short of murder but involve the amputation of limbs has increased.
An academic investigation into ‘Violent Hand Amputation and Replantation in South Africa’ conducted by Wendy Young, Pragashnie Govender, and Deshini Naidoo, claims that in 2001, almost 2500 individuals were caught with body parts in their possession. This highlights just how ingrained the practice of ritual killing is in the nation.
Analysis:
It is highly likely the man attacked in this case was a victim of a crime with connections to the practice of muti.
The practice of muti is particularly prevalent in Mpumalanga, with three doctors and a nurse suspended from Bernice Samuel Hospital in 2021 after an infant admitted with diarrhea had her hand amputated. A case of negligence was opened against the nurse and three doctors, and officially a possible muti motive was not investigated, but it is also highly likely the amputation was done so the hand could be used for ritualistic magic.
Before starting to read the first article presented below, readers should prepare themselves that they’re going to read a weird story. The author recounts a number of murder cases including ritual murders (often committed in a far past, the oldest murder cited was committed nearly 60 years ago) with a dead victim fighting from the grave – hence the article’s title. You will better understand what this means once reading the article’s details.
However, in the first two paragraphs the author mentions the overall number of murder cases (reported, committed, solved, murder trials) committed in Zimbabwe in 2021, 2022 and 2023, specified by province.
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency at least 40 percent of the 3600 murder cases documented in 2022 were alleged ritual killings.(italics added by the webmaster FVDK).
If true (there is no reason to disbelieve the Statistics Agency but nevertheless I wonder whether there’s a typo here and I will verify the numbers reported) this means nearly 1500 ritual murder cases in 2022 alone!
A quick calculation points out that this means a monthly average of 120 ritually murdered victims, i.e. 4 ritual murders a day. This is very high given the overall population of Zimbabwe, about 16 million people, and it contrasts sharply with another statement of the author.
The author continues: “So widespread are incidents of ritual killing that in recent times barely a fortnight passes without the Zimbabwean media reporting on the heinous act in its various ghastly shades.” (bold letter added by the webmaster FVDK).
Nevertheless it seems safe and justified to conclude that the incidence of rituals murders is high in Zimbabwe even though the reported numbers need a thorough verification.
Be that as it may, a prudent estimate results in a about 300 ‘muti’ murders on a yearly basis, hence one every day – which is still a shocking number.
Concluding, the first article throws a particular light on the phenomenon of the belief in the supernatural in this Southern Africa country. In previous posts I’ve already included some of the ritualistic murder cases mentioned in the article. Some other murder cases are new. A very recent one is the suspected ritual murder of a three-year old girl in Guruve, Mashonaland Central Province. Caroline Makubhwakwa’s mutilated body, with some of the body parts missing, was discovered on January 25 after she got missing on January 17 (see the second article below).
Warning: the articles below contains graphic details which may upset some readers. (webmaster FVDK)
Shocking news from Zimbabwe, as reported by a national news site: ritual murders in the country are on the rise – allegedly.
Whereas the occurrence of ritualistic murders, locally often referred to as ‘muti murders’, is not in doubt – as demonstrated by the numerous cases reported on the present site, you may consult the dropdown menu ‘African countries’ to access all posts on Zimbabwe – it is nevertheless shocking to hear that there is an apparent recent surge in the number of these cruel crimes. As you may know, the organs or body parts ‘needed’ for ‘muti‘ have to be harvested from a living person.
One would think that the Tapiwa Makore murder case and the sentencing to death of his convicted murderers, his uncle and an accomplice, would deter potential perpetrators of muti related murders. According to recent newspaper reports, this is not the case.
A psychotherapist consulted (see the article below) points to mental illness as a significant factor behind these gruesome murders. I’ve often asked myself the same question: What makes someone a ritualistic murderer? Certainly, more research needs to be done as to why people ‘cross a border’ and decide to kill another human being – in a cruel way – as a means to ‘get rich quick’, to have success in business or to gain a certain (often political) position. Is it superstition? Is it a criminal mind? Selfishness? Greed? Or are ritualistic murderers mentally disturbed persons who should be treated for their ‘illness’ in stead of punished – death by hanging or a long prison sentence?
Asking the question means answering it.
Who knows the answer? (webmaster FVDK)
Zimbabwe: Ritual Killings Rise
Is the capital punishment a deterrent for potential ritualistic killers?
Published: February 3, 2024 By: ZimEye, Zimbabwe
A disturbing trend is sweeping across the nation, as reports of suspected ritual murders are on the rise, leaving communities in shock and children as primary targets of these heinous acts.
The superstitious belief that killing individuals in a specific manner, particularly involving torture and processing certain body parts, can create and maintain wealth is contributing to an alarming increase in brutal killings, leaving many with unanswered questions.
The resurgence of ritual killings has prompted concerns and calls for action from various quarters.
Traditional healer Sekuru Banda, dismissing the superstitions, condemns those who propagate such beliefs, emphasizing the need for hard work instead of seeking easy money through horrific means. Banda urges a change in mindsets, highlighting the dangers of people being led astray in pursuit of illusory wealth.
To gain further insights, a news crew sought the perspective of psychotherapist Dr. Mertha Nyamande, who points to mental illness as a significant factor behind gruesome murders.
Dr. Nyamande explains that many offenders, especially those involved in removing body parts, may suffer from mental ailments or psychopathy, challenging the notion that these acts are rooted in ritualistic beliefs. From a legal standpoint, Mr. Moffat Makuvatsine sheds light on how the law addresses ritual killings.
While there is no specific provision for such crimes, they can be treated as murder committed under aggravating circumstances, potentially carrying the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The legal expert emphasizes that any murder proved to have ulterior motives may result in severe penalties. Recent cases, including the tragic death of Tapiwa Makore, have brought the issue of ritual killings to the forefront.
Tapiwa’s killers, his uncle Tapiwa Senior and Tafadzwa Shamba, were sentenced to death for their involvement in the gruesome crime.
However, the scourge continues, with a recent incident in Guruve involving the brutal murder of a three-year-old, whose body was decapitated and burnt, with missing body parts.
The perpetrators of this heinous act remain at large, underscoring the urgency for a concerted effort from law enforcement and communities to address and eradicate the deeply troubling surge in ritual killings.
As the nation grapples with this distressing epidemic, there is a pressing need for comprehensive strategies that include education, mental health awareness, and stringent legal measures to curb the prevalence of such horrific crimes.
