Mystery: Boy (5) ‘dies’ in his sleep

Upon arrival, Biyela allegedly made cuttings on Philasande’s body in an attempt to revive him. This practice of making small cuts and applying traditional medicines (muthi) is sometimes used by traditional healers.

Biyela claimed that Philasande’s stepmother had woken up in the night to find the boy with food in his mouth, unresponsive. When Biyela got to the home, Philasande was still in bed and hot.

“My wife, who is Philasande’s stepmum, told me she woke up in the middle of the night to wake him up so that he can pee. She then noticed that Philasande had food in his mouth. She tried to wake him up several times, but he didn’t.”

The traditional healer denied rumors that he had killed his son to gain powers through a ritual called ukuthwala. He refused to comment further, stating the matter was with the police.

Philasande’s mother, Nqobile, expressed confusion on social media, asking for help. She said the child had been living with his father, as requested by their elders. Nqobile was informed of Philasande’s death on Sunday, but the cause remained unclear.

According to Biyela, the boy had injuries to his head and body, but Nqobile said her son was with the stepmother when this happened, not Biyela. The child’s body was taken to a government mortuary, where police said he had been killed.

Both parents said they could not comment further, as they await the police investigation.