Three people have been arrested for “ritual murders” in Pella, in the North West, Premier Edna Molewa announced on Saturday.

“There is strong evidence linking them to several criminal activities in the area,” she said in a statement congratulating the police.

Molewa said the body of a 17-year-old male was found dumped near Pella, in Madikwe, on Thursday. The corpse was missing its tongue and genitals.

The teenager’s death followed the recent mutilation of a 13-year-old near the same village.

“This act of barbarism cannot go unpunished as it tears the moral fabric of our communities and society,” said Molewa.

“This is the work of faceless hyenas that prowl upon innocent people.

“These wild animals have shown no respect for human life. They should know they will never evade the clutches of justice forever”, she said.

Molewa expressed confidence that the police would work tirelessly to root out “this inhuman practice that threatens to entrench itself in some of our communities”.

Doctors For Life said the muti-murders had left people in the community “too terrified to leave their houses at night”.

“These body parts somehow find their way to the consumer without ever being advertised as such,” spokesperson Dr Moses Thindisa said in a statement.

“However, from the extremely high incidence of muti-killings, it is clear that some potions sold as traditional African herbal medicine contain these human body parts.”

Usually the medicines were considered more powerful if the body parts are removed while the victim was still alive, he said.

“Genitals are often used in love potions and remedies for infertility and/or impotence,” said Thindisa.

Doctors For Life appealed to the government to include in the Traditional Health Practitioners’ Bill a clause forcing herbalists to make the contents of their potions known and print these on the containers. – Sapa

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