The Inkatha Freedom Party says ritual killing for body parts must be treated just like rhino horn poaching, which has become part of organised crime.
This comes after a man was arrested after he was caught red handed with a bucket with a human skull, hand, torso and other body parts that were cut into small pieces in Margate.
Government has made strides in fighting rhino poaching and a similar approach must be applied in eradicating this scourge. The IFP is calling for the arrest of those who prescribe body parts as medicines. Vampires and cannibals have no place in our society. They must rot in jail.
We believe that people who use human body parts are witches. Attacks and use of body parts of people including those with albinism, regardless of the purpose for which they are used, cannot under any circumstances be considered an elemental part of any legitimate practice, whether linked to witchcraft or to traditional medicine.
Such acts inherently constitute criminal activity and other human rights violations. Consequently, they cannot be justified on the basis of tradition, traditional medicine, or any other ground.
I have seen advertisements in newspapers posted by ‘traditional healers’ offering to make clients richer, cure incurable diseases, secure release from prison, and making other claims that are more suggestive of witchcraft than traditional medicine.
Furthermore, this is indicative of the extent of moral decay in the country. This is a sickening crime. These types of crime are becoming more and more common in our society. This says a lot about the degeneration of our nation’s moral fibre.
There are two fundamental questions that South African, law -abiding citizens, need to answer. What is the cause of this perilous phenomenon? And what can be done to stem the tide?”
Issued by:
Mr Blessed Gwala MPL,
IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison,
078 290 5842
