By Nothando Makhubela
Residents in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, stoned and burned a monkey to death on Monday.
They alleged that it was sent for witchcraft.
The residents said that they tried to contact the police and community police forums to catch the monkey, but were unsuccessful. So they did so themselves and beat it until it died, and then burned it.
In an interview with Scrolla.Africa, Philisile Sibanyoni said she witnessed the monkey climbing the tree in her yard.
“I was on my way to fetch my daughter from school when I saw this monkey climbing the tree and I called my nephew and other community members who were close by that time. It was during the afternoon around 2 pm.
“We tried calling the police to come and get it, but we were not successful. This is not the first time we saw a monkey in our village. I am still questioning myself how it ended up here,” she said.
A resident who wished to remain anonymous said: “As black people we believe that monkeys or any other wild creatures are used for witchcrafting or performing evil things.”
Local councillor David Mokoena was summoned to the scene by residents, but he did not pitch because he was attending a meeting at the Kwa-Makerana Tribal Authorities Office.
However, he sent a message that there is nothing he can do in dealing with this matter. He also said that he tried calling the police to attend to this saga, but he was unable to reach the relevant people.
The residents also pleaded with the Thembisile Local Municipality to cut down all the trees, particularly the tall ones. They believe the trees will bring snakes or other dangerous creatures or, worse, fall on top of power lines and cause devastating damage.
Pictured above: Residents gathered in the area after they saw and killed the monkey
Image source: Supplied
