03/09/2004 09:27 AM – (SA)
House blown away by “witchcraft”

The community of Muvhango in Bophelong is mystified as to the origins of an unusually selective wind that blew off a house’s entire roofing system in Bophelong Muvhango section last week.

While even the shakiest of the neighbouring shacks within the same vicinity remained intact and unshaken the newly extended RDP house’s roofing was blown away by a gust of wind that remains unexplained.

Magdalene Mokanyane the house owner told Vaal Weekly that she had been watching soapies on TV at around six o’clock last week Wednesday when out of nowhere the wind that she described as even not “that strong” pulled away the roofing system, the windows, curtain and their rails before the inside stove chimney followed suit.

`After that wind had gone we were literally sitting outside even though we were in the house’, she said.

Mokanyane said she was more prone to believe that if the wind had been some sort of a tornado it could have affected more than one house.

She said what baffled her most was that there was an unexplained spark of fire in her kitchen that was followed by the mysterious wind.

To add to her family’s woes, the house furniture had been destroyed by the rain that followed shortly after the roofing had been blown away.

`We can’t even cook because the electricity box had been destroyed and all my blankets are wet as a result of the rain. I’m appealing to the council to please assist us in any way possible, no one is working in my family and I honestly do not how I’m going to fix this mess,’ she explained.

The incident has left tongues wagging in the area amidst widely held speculation that the wind could have been an act of witchcraft by jealous people allegedly envious of the extensive renovations made to the house.