Man kills stepson, cuts off hand
2009-11-09 22:35

Durban - A traditional healer allegedly killed his stepson then buried the child's hand at the home of a woman who had earlier sought advice from him in a town outside Pinetown.

"The man allegedly told the woman that her problems and bad luck were caused by the hand of a child that was buried in her yard by her enemies," said Superintendent Vincent Mdunge.

"He then promised to remove the hand for her at a later stage,"

The woman would then pay the man for removing the hand, he said.

When the woman woke on Friday morning, she noticed that someone had dug in her yard and carefully tried to mask the hole, Mdunge said.

The woman investigated and found a buried hand caked with blood. She contacted the police.

"When the police went to question the man, it was found that the man's stepson had disappeared the previous day.

"The man told the police that the boy had drowned in the dam. Police divers searched the dam and the body was not found," said Mdunge.

The body was found on Monday in bushes by children, he said.

- SAPA