Villagers in the tranquil rural area of Kwelerha are living in terror after a spate of killings that left nine people dead in the short space of six months. These people, all related, have been shot dead, for what some believe has to do with the wealth of a deceased relative.
An Eastern Cape woman and her two young daughters were found dead in a pool of blood on Wednesday. Her one-year-old grandchild, still alive, was sitting quietly with their bodies. The three had been shot execution-style in the back of their heads. The residents of Zingqolweni in Cacadu, a village already notorious after a string of killings, are stunned by the cold brutality of the latest slaying.
The mastermind accused of orchestrating the “village of death murders”, where 11 elderly people were murdered by having their throats slit, has been accused of collecting the blood drained from his victims for muthi. This is according to investigating officer Captain Lindile Sigcu of the provincial organised crime unit, who testified at the bail application of 68-year-old Gcinumthetho Pakamisa last week.
In an exodus from the horror village of Zingqolweni in Cacadu, 50 women, some of them widowed and living alone or with grandchildren, have abandoned their homes and fled. Women started leaving in December, fearing they could be the next victim of a suspected serial killer on the loose in the area.