AN elderly South African couple was set alight and killed by a mob of people who accused them of practicing witchcraft, police said on Thursday.
The mob had apparently accused the man, 66, and woman, 60, of killing their granddaughter through trickery and burying her in their yard. The granddaughter, 16, had died in hospital a week earlier after overdosing on pills.
A police investigation has been opened, but so far no arrests were made.
Police told the SAPA news agency they arrived at the house in the middle of the night to find it ablaze. The husband was found killed on the street, while the wife was burned to death in their bedroom.
The belief in “muti,” or magical powers, is widespread in the country and traditional healers often garner much respect. There are also hundreds of reported incidents of witchcraft each year, some turning violent.
