"If she's weighs the same as a duck, then she's made of wood!"

[Shockeye]

Rampaging youths torch 39 homes in apparent witch hunt; 90 people arrested
01:11 PM EST Feb 25

POLOKWANE, South Africa (AP) - Scores of rampaging youths torched 39 homes in an apparent witch hunt in this northern region of South Africa, police said Friday. When police intervened, a man was killed in the crossfire.

The violence erupted at midnight Wednesday around the northern village of Giyani and continued into Thursday, police told the South African Press Association.

Traditional healers, church pastors and traditional leaders were among those targeted in the violence.

"They told them: 'You are a witch,' " police Supt. Moatshe Ngoepe was quoted as saying. "Those people lost everything - food, blankets, their children's school uniforms and school books - everything."

When police arrived at one house, youths opened fire, he said. The police returned fire and a 20-year-old man was killed, he said.

Police responded in force and had arrested 90 people by Friday afternoon.

Such violence is not new in this part of South Africa, where there is a strong belief in the power of magic. Hundreds of witchcraft accusations are reported every year and there have been periodic outbursts and related killings.

Authorities have responded with village meetings, rallies, radio messages and appeals to church leaders to speak out, and the violence has declined in recent years.

"We thought this kind of thing was in the past," said Ngoepe. "I appeal to the community to deal with problems through the relevant channels rather than (destroy) other people's property."

[HaemishM]

I suppose we should change the "weigh as much as a duck" test for the local customs to "manages to not burn up like kindling when we torch her house."

[Paelos]

Anything that happens in Africa is immediately discounted in my book by the fact that it's Africa. We should put walls around it and send all the convicts there.

[Furiously]

Anything that happens in Africa is immediately discounted in my book by the fact that it's Africa. We should put walls around it and send all the convicts there.

I thought that was Australia? Anyways - had a friend going through customs in Australia, and they ask if he is bringing any food into the counrty, he says no. Then they ask if he has ever been convicted of any felonies, he then asks, "Is that still a requirement to get in?"...

[Strazos]

Anything that happens in Africa is immediately discounted in my book by the fact that it's Africa. We should put walls around it and send all the convicts there.

Yeah, Africa does seem to be a somewhat useless cesspool as of late.

And when I say "as of late", just just say the last, oh I dunno, 1,500 years?

[Stephen Zepp]

Anything that happens in Africa is immediately discounted in my book by the fact that it's Africa. We should put walls around it and send all the convicts there.

I thought that was Australia? Anyways - had a friend going through customs in Australia, and they ask if he is bringing any food into the counrty, he says no. Then they ask if he has ever been convicted of any felonies, he then asks, "Is that still a requirement to get in?"...

I was on a month-long exercise in Queensland, and one of the Aussie SAS troops we were working with was named "Pome". Took us a month to get up the guts to ask him what it meant (he was a mean and lean mofo), and he calmly told us "Prisoner of Mother England".