Swaziland has launched a crackdown on
high-flying witches after banning them from
hovering above 150metres.
It has been a long time since witches were
burnt at the stake in Europe but the
accusation remains a serious one in the
landlocked African country.
Anyone caught flying their broomstick above
the height limit faces arrest and a hefty
R500,000 fine, the country’s civil aviation
authorities said this week.
‘A witch on a broomstick should not fly above
the [150-metre] limit,’ corporate affairs
director Sabelo Dlamini told The Star.
The new aviation law was highlighted after a
private investigator was caught flying a
helicopter equipped with a video camera to
gather surveillance information.
Witchcraft is taken seriously in Swaziland
where many people believe in the power of
black magic.
Last year a leading Swazi MP called for a hike
in tax paid by witch doctors to help ease the
cash-strapped country’s financial woes.
but not for transport.