A sangoma’s alleged premonition identifying alleged burglary suspects has been blamed for sparking a mob assault on three men in KZN.
One of the men has died from his injuries.
The incident happened on Tuesday night in Egrondini in Tongaat, where community members allegedly attacked the men after claiming they had been identified by a traditional healer as being responsible for an earlier burglary.
Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) were dispatched to the scene at about 9.16pm following reports that a mob was assaulting two men.
On arrival, reaction officers found residents beating one of the suspects, who had reportedly been stripped naked during the attack.
“According to information gathered at the scene, community members had earlier consulted a sangoma regarding a burglary in the area. The traditional healer allegedly indicated that the two men were responsible for the crime, prompting residents to confront and assault them. It could not immediately be confirmed whether the injured men were involved in the alleged burglary,” read a statement from Rusa.
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS confirmed to Sowetan that they have opened cases of murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm following the incident.
“Three men were allegedly assaulted by a group of people on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, at Emona area in Tongaat. The victims were taken to hospital, where a 30-year-old succumbed to injuries. Reports indicate that the victims were assaulted by a group of people who accused them of theft,” said KZN police spokesperson Lt-Col Paul Magwaza.
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