Hlungwani ritual murder: 4 relatives, life
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The killing was carried out to obtain human remains for a claimed ritual purpose, according to the cited conviction record.
- Ritual, oath, or initiation
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Sources
- Ritual Killing in Africa (2020) 'South Africa: relatives sentenced to life for ritual murder', 19 November. Available at: ritualkillinginafrica.org (Accessed: 14 July 2026).
In Limpopo, four relatives were sentenced to life for the ritual murder of Hlayisani Hlungwani: 'The judge found that the four accused intentionally killed Hlungwani by cutting off her lips, breasts and private parts. During the ritual, the victim's mother-in-law, Mhlongo, burned herbs naked while calling Hlungwani['s] ancestors to accept her spirit.' A co-accused testified that 'he and Mahumani held the victim down while Chuma cut the body parts with a knife. The court remarked that the crime was barbaric, where the victim fought for her life with all her energy, screaming and kicking.'
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- https://www.ritualkillinginafrica.org/2020/11/19/south-africa-relatives-senctenced-to-life-for-ritual-murder/ Legacy citation preserved without a normalized source tier or evidentiary-role code. SHA-256 97ea5009467e78e3fb0ab14b15eec8d5174aad81212e95b89f42a07b873ec788
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- 2026-07-20 · Preserved
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