Cannibal gives himself up to Police because he is ‘tired of eating human flesh’

A traditional healer or witch doctor, known as a Nyanga, reportedly gave himself up to the police in Estcourt, a town in South Africa’s eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, telling officers: “I’m tired of eating human flesh.”

When questioned, he produced parts of a human leg and a hand.  As a result, Nyanga and three other men have appeared in court facing charges of cannibalism in South Africa.

During investigations, the men led police to a house where more human remains were found.

It was revealed that the suspects rape and kill their victims before cutting them into pieces and eat their parts.

The investigation is also looking into whether the men were part of a larger criminal syndicate.

Although, the incident may have wider ramifications in the local community. Crowds gathered outside the court to catch a glimpse of the suspects, as they are led by police into the courthouse.

Another shocking revelation was made by a local councillor, who claimed that hundreds of residents had admitted to knowingly eating human flesh after being instructed to do so by the witch doctor, as part of healing or problem-solving ritual.

The case has raised suspicion of muti, a term used to describe traditional forms of medicine and cultural practice in South Africa and other parts of the continent. So-called muti killings have occurred in various countries, where people are murdered and their body parts used in purported medicines by witch doctors. Albinos or people with a congenital skin disorder known as albinism are particularly at risk of muti killings due to the belief held by some that their body parts impart power and health to those who consume them.

Earlier in August, a man was arrested in Durban—the region’s biggest city located around 100 miles east of Estcourt—when police found him with a human head in his backpack. The man was suspected of trying to sell the head to a traditional healer.

An investigation is underway to discover whether the men were part of a larger crime syndicate, and police have called people in the region who have missing relatives to come forward, the BBC reported.