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WITCHCRAFT CLAIMS IN INYANGA MURDER

14/01/2019 08:34:00 BY KHULEKANI NENE

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NKONJWA – The traditional healer (inyanga) who was killed in cold blood, together with his mother at Nkonjwa area, were accused of witchcraft.
This publication can reveal that the suspected killers of Gcina Vilakati (42) and his mother Liphinah Vilakati are close family members whom, according

to the family, had accused the deceased of allegedly bewitching another family member who died last month.

Vilakati, a popular traditional healer who also doubled as a Zion Church Bishop, was gunned down in front of his family on Sunday, January 6 2019. The same gunmen then proceeded to kill Gogo Lephinah, who resided about 400 metres from her son’s place. Both deceased were reportedly shot multiple times with what police described as a Lorcin 9mm pistol. A 17-year-old girl, who was with Gogo Lephinah during the shooting, was shot once in the chest but miraculously survived.

According to the Vilakti family, the deceased were accused of alleged witchcraft by close family members, some of whom have now been arrested for the murder. “It all started when a member of the family died just before Christmas last year. He had reportedly suffered a stroke and then became ill for a very long time,” alleged Sawula (Saul) Vilakti.

Children of the deceased family member were seemingly not convinced that he had died due to natural causes, instead they believed that he had been bewitched, according to Sawula. “We heard the rumours that she (Lephinah) was being accused of bewitching the deceased but we never thought those rumours could culminate to this tragedy,” he added.

Meanwhile, the widow of the traditional healer also confirmed that her husband had been accused of witchcraft by close family members.
Nomcebo Vilakati (widow) narrated how they were embarrassed with her husband when they visited the family of the member who had died in December last year.

She said they had gone there to pass their condolences (kuyolila), which is a common practice in Eswatini culture. “While we were inside the mourning house, together with other mourners, a son of the deceased, who was glad in Jericho church regalia, threw a three-legged pot near our feet, almost injuring us,” narrated the widow.

She said the Jericho Church member was in high spirits. “We left thereafter since we felt that we were not welcome. What surprised us is that, other family members did not come to apologise for what had happened. My husband (late inyanga) didn’t even attend the funeral of his relative since he had been warned that something bad could happen to him,” said the widow.

She insisted that her husband was a registered traditional healer who specialised only on healing and not witchcraft. She mentioned that her late husband was based in South Africa, in the Eastern Cape Province, adding that he did not spend a lot of time in the country. “Following the witchcraft allegations that were levelled against him, he told me that his conscience was clear, stating that he had never bewitched anyone. He also wondered why he would bewitch a close family member as he had nothing to gain by doing that,” added the widow.

She further stated that on the weekend Vilakati was killed, he was not himself and he acted differently as if he knew that something bad was about to happen to him. She said her husband did not leave home on that weekend and unusually spent a lot of time within his premises. The widow said her husband told her that she would go to Siphofaneni on Monday to do some banking and further pay annual taxes for his vehicles. Vilakati leaves behind many children, his unemployed wife and other family members who relied on him.

His brother Mandla said the deceased was everything to him. “Since I’m a cane farmer, I sometimes struggle to buy food for my children but he was always there to support me when I needed help,” he lamented. The Vilakti family said it was yet to decide on the burial dates of the two.