Bushbuckridge – Mpumalanga is finalising tough new laws that will enable courts to jail anyone involved in “sniffing out” or persecuting people accused of witchcraft.

The proposed Mpumalanga Witchcraft Act will allow prosecutors to impose fines up to R5 000 or prison terms up to five years.  The Act hopes to reduce the number of withcraft related violence in the province, such as incident that took place in Utah village, Bushbuckridge, on Freedom Day.

A 38-year-old woman was accused of witchcraft when a 14-year-old cattle herder collapsed and died.

The boy had complained that he wasn’t feeling well and strange things, which he couldn’t describe, had been biting him. When he collapsed, he his nose and ears were bleeding.

Constable Robert Makhubele said the community had held meetings all day that Friday and police received a tip-off that a mob was planned to burn the woman and her family to death.  Police found a riotous mob walking down the road. The mob soon started throwing stones, damaging five police vans.  Some officers also were badly assaulted and had to be treated at Mapulaneng Hospital.