Last month an 81-year-old woman in KwaKwiliza near Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal was stabbed 50 times and had her throat slit because her neighbour accused her of being a witch. The reason given by police is that the man believed that the elderly woman had killed two members of his family members through the use of witchcraft.

Captain Jabulani Mdletshe said that the police were called to the scene but by the time they arrived the man had already escaped.

On Monday police in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal confirmed that another one of these senseless killings had taken place. This time one man was killed, another injured and their houses torched after they were accused of practicing witchcraft.

The incident had taken place the day before when a mob from what is known as E-section attacked a man they accused of being a wizard. He was pelted with stones and his house burnt down after he had supposedly admitted to being a person who was practicing witchcraft. He was also compelled to point out the houses of others involved in this practice.

Undoubtedly the man would also have admitted to being the 3rd gunman on the grassy knoll, Lord Lucan and the Duchess of Winchester if prodded for those answers. So it comes as no surprise that he put the kiss of death on two further alleged witches by pointing out their houses.

At this point the police arrived on the scene and were able to rescue him from the crowd and take him to hospital.

Unfortunately they were unaware of his pointing out because as soon as they left the mob attacked one of the houses that he had shown them. This time they stoned the man inside to death and burnt his house down.

The upshot of all this lunacy from a mob gone mad is that one person was arrested and cases of malicious damage to property, murder, attempted murder and arson were opened.

The insanity that is the slaughter of people accused of witchcraft and wizardry continues.

Until such time as a tangible solution is found to the lynch mob mentality which prevails in these cases we are going to see a lot more innocent people murdered.

Unfortunately the laws of the land on rape, murder and arson are proving to be no deterrent whatsoever.