Witchcraft accusations land man in court

AN Insuza woman has pressed charges against her neighbour who accused her of possessing a goblin that she allegedly uses to bewitch him.

The accused person, Lucky Sibanda of Village 1B Insuza, pleaded not guilty when he briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mrs Thobekile Mkhosana to contravening section 99 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23, indicating witches or wizards.

It is the state's case as presented by Mr Marlvin Nzombe that sometime in July this year, Mrs Lainnah Ndebele, who is the complainant in this case, went to sleep in her bedroom and left her pillow outside.

It is said the following morning, she realised that her pillow was not where she left it but at Sibanda's homestead. Mrs Ndebele later sent her granddaughter to collect it. The court heard that on another day, the complainant again left the pillow outside the house before she went to sleep.

The following day she discovered that the pillow had been burnt. The complainant reported the matter to the vice kraal head Mr Erick Dhlamini where Sibanda and other villagers where called to a conduct a counselling session.

The court heard that after the counselling session, tempers flared where Sibanda allegedly accused the complainant of using her pillow to bewitch him.

It is said the accused person later invited a local weekly Umthunywa and told the newspaper that Mrs Ndebele was a witch who possessed a goblin that she unleashed on innocent people.

The newspaper published the story and Mrs Sibanda went to report the matter to police leading to the arrest of Sibanda.

Sibanda was remanded to 24 September for continuation of the trial.