Four men suspected of cannibalism are due to appear in the Estcourt Magistrate’s Court in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands on Tuesday.
They were arrested in August after one of them, a traditional healer Nino Mbatha, went to a local police station and voluntarily admitted that he’d practised cannibalism after bodies were procured for that purpose.
The four accused Mbatha‚ Lungisani Magubane‚ Sithembiso Sithole and Khayelihle Lamula are facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Mbatha has since abandoned his bid for bail. At the last court appearance the state called Esigodlweni councillor Mthembeni Majola and the investigating officer Kgatatso Matsena, who testified against the granting of bail to the accused.
Majola told the court that he feared for the safety of the families of the accused.
He said he had to intervene when angry community members wanted the families to be removed from the Esigodlweni area.
Meanwhile, Matsena told the court he believed it would not be easy to re-arrest the suspects should they decide not to honour their court appearances due to the seriousness of their case.
The court is expected to decide on whether Magubane, Sithole and Lamula will be granted bail.
