Call for vetting of pastors, healers as ritual crimes against children shock SA

IOL News

2 days ago

IOL spent time with chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission), Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva at her offices in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
Image: Jonisayi Maromo/IOL
South African communities have experienced various heinous crimes committed by perpetrators, including leaders of faith-based organisations—particularly sangomas and pastors.
Earlier this week, IOL reported that a 50-year-old sangoma, Sebokoana Khounyana, appeared before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court in Gauteng facing charges of premeditated murder and human trafficking of two-year-old baby, Kutlwano Shalaba.
Gauteng spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Lumka Mahanjana said a charge of premeditated murder was also added against the baby's mother Kuneuwe Portia Shalaba.
Kutlwano Shalaba was murdered allegedly by her mother and a sangoma.
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The 32-year-old mother was previously facing charges of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery and making a false statement to the police.
On Wednesday morning, IOL reported that the specialised occult unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been roped in to probe the brutal murder of Roodepoort teenager Likhona Fose, whose mutilated body was discovered on Sunday.
The 14-year-old Grade 8 learner at Ikusasalethu Secondary School in Braamfischerville, Joburg apparently lived with her grandmother, who could not find her on Saturday. Her butchered body was found in an open field, covered with vegetation around Durban Deep, in Roodepoort, Gauteng.
Deputy Minister of Police Dr Polly Boshielo has confirmed that the genitalia of a young girl was removed by her killers.
As crime experts suggest the possibility of an occult-related murder in the case of Likhona, IOL spoke with Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission), at her offices in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
'The issue of Child Protection Week is very critical in a country like ours. Our children are not safe—even in their homes, they are not safe. Even in their communities, they are not safe. We are one of those countries which are not fit for children,' she said. 'We are a country that, if we had choices, we wouldn't have children in this country. We are a country that does not pay as much attention as it should, where children are concerned.'
'On basic things like access to education, some children still walk long distances when the transport system fails. Some schools still do not have toilets. So, even before we get to the alarmingly high levels of child abuse in this country, there are already many things that need urgent attention,' said Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.
She said Child Protection Week was an opportunity for South Africans to reflect on their individual contributions to creating safer environments for children.
'As the CRL Rights Commission, we asked: How can we use the Children's Act to protect children? How do we ensure that the Act is implemented? It's an established law that can protect children. We are looking at spaces of worship and sacred spaces,' she told IOL. 'The law says anyone working with children must be vetted—not just teachers.'
She emphasised that the law requires anyone working with children to be vetted, yet many religious leaders operate closely with children in their ministries without undergoing the necessary checks.
'Part of what we're asking is: in the religious sector, who is vetting pastors? If I start a church, who vets me? I'll have access to children. Suddenly, I love Sunday School and I'm always with the kids - and parents are thrilled that this nice pastor enjoys spending time with them. But has he been vetted?
'To ensure that pastors, bishops, and archbishops are properly vetted, what systems should be in place?' she said.
'Paedophilia is not something that easily leaves your system. People who prey on children deliberately seek out spaces where they can access them. If I'm a religious leader, I have access. Yet, in this country, we worry about teachers - some of whom are vetted, others not - but we ignore these unregulated spaces.'
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva emphasised that the CRL Rights Commission will be tabling the issue of vetting and monitoring of religious leaders across South Africa.
'We are looking at vetting of traditional healers, because they have access to children as well. We are looking at vetting of people who do virginity testing. It is amazing that we have people who are working in a very delicate space in our children's lives and no one is monitoring them,' she said.
'When you have people who say, I want to test children below 16, and I insist on doing that, but I have not been vetted, there is a crisis there, looming. We think it is only men who can do certain things. Anyone can do whatever. This is a gender-free kind of space.'
She said South Africa needs to go back to basics in terms of protecting its children. Mkhwanazi-Xaluva emphasised that not anyone with money for a tent and chairs should be allowed to open a church in South Africa.
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said in order to protect children, a regulator should receive applications from religious leaders and do proper vetting including taking fingerprints and identity documents of the applicants.
'We are not talking about new laws. These are laws that exist, implement those laws and the laws that exist take us straight to the Children's Act. So traditional healers, virginity testers, pastors, religious leaders of all kinds whether it is Islam, Jewish, or whatever - who is vetting them? It is the responsibility of the state to protect people. We are saying the state must do its job and its job is to make sure we are all safe, even if we do not see danger, we must be protected,' she said.
Earlier this week, IOL spoke to renowned criminologist, Prof Kholofelo Rakubu who is the Head of Department at Tshwane University of Technology's Department of Law, Safety and Security Management, regarding the graphic nature of crime in South Africa, which often targets children.
'There are signs of an occult crime, which the occult crime investigations unit looks for. When they arrive at the scene, there are projects which tell them that this is an occult case. A body part must be missing, a particular body part is taken by the perpetrators and normally the perpetrators are not seen.
'You have not heard of a situation where perpetrators of an occult crime were seen doing it, we hear about it afterwards. That is because they are very professional. They are rational thinkers, they take time to pounce on their unsuspecting victims,' she said.
'To lure them, they take the victims to a designated place, they just do not do the killing at a tavern. They can dump the body somewhere, where it was not killed.'
Rakubu, however, warned that the crime of occultic killers might get confused with psychotic killers.
'Sometimes a mentally disturbed person would do the crime in the same manner. They can kill their girlfriend, cut the body into pieces and keep them in a freezer because they are hearing voices and having psychological issues.'