On
Special Assignment this week:
Episode Title: The Kei Rippers
Date: Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Time: 20h00
Channel: SABC 3
Since October 2008, communities around the town of Butterworth in the Eastern Cape have been living in fear following the discovery of several mutilated bodies.
It began with the discovery of the body of a 9-year old boy - whose three friends were forced to help kill him, disembowel him with their bare hands and to finally carry his body and dump it in the river.
Police initially suspected it was the work of a serial killer, dubbed The Kei Ripper, and arrested several suspects, who were later freed for lack of evidence.
Then an apparent breakthrough, with the arrest of two men, bishops from a local church. The men, also sangomas (traditional healers) from Swaziland, were arrested together with three other men, one of whom was a former mortuary worker.
Investigators claim the arrests point to a body parts smuggling ring operating in the area. But various other theories abound. Some claim there has been an increase in Satanism in the area. Others say the parts of the mutilated victims are being used for ‘muti’ or traditional medicine.
Whatever the motive, the killings have sown the seeds of fear in the rural Transkei.
Special Assignment traces the trail left by the ‘rippers.’ Survivors tell stories of being approached with a hand-drawn list, and asked to choose which part they wanted to be cut off.
Then there is the fact that two decapitated bodies were found AFTER the suspects were arrested. The show also speaks to a community living in terror - where people are choosing to move into neighbours’ homes to avoid sleeping alone.
The programme is produced is Busisiwe Ntuli and Mandisa Zokoya.
Related links:The TVObserver: Muti Killings