THOKOLOSHE’S TERRITORIAL BATTLE

The Keloneilwe family at Goo Kodisa, a small settlement between Thamaga and Moshupa, does not know peace because of an evil creature that has stopped their children from going to school for a year now. Kgosi Molaakwena Keloneilwe, who is cousins with the affected family, says that the creature has said before church people and diviners that it is not a thokoloshe. Basadibotlhe Keloneilwe, who spoke on behalf of the family, also confirmed this, saying the creature can appear in the form of a snake, a baboon, a strong wind or a doll. However, this is revealed by their children as they are the only ones that can see the creature with their eyes. The three mothers and guests only see its manifestations. “We tried to look for help from churches and traditional healers, to no avail. This creatures pees on our food, mixes our food with glass particles and soil. It is so rude and beats us at night,” she says. Keloneilwe tells The Midweek Sun that it all started last year April when her school-going children and those of her two sisters, who live next to each other, complained that something was throwing stones at them on their way to school. They attend school in Thamaga and have since stopped going to school because all their uniforms have been torn to pieces, allegedly by the unknown creature. “They told us that it also chokes them and harasses them on their way to school. It appears to them as a doll or monkey or snake. Sometimes it has the head of monkey and the body of a snake,” says Keloneilwe. During the interview, a woman arrived saying she was a tailor, announcing that the new school uniforms were ready. However, it was agreed that she should keep them at her factory since the creature would tear them again if they are to be brought to the family. As a result, the three children did not write their school exams because of the torment. House burnt According to Keloneilwe, the creature started burning items in their house last year August. She says that it then burnt their house two weeks back when they were at church. “We were called by our neighbours that our house was on fire. And we found the cylinder in front of the house,” she says, adding that the three sisters have since moved in together. Inside the house were remains of burnt items such as blankets and food. Keloneilwe states that when Eagle Nest Church came, the creature turned into a doll and went into a pot. She says that when Eloyi church people came, they removed what looked like horns and flywhisks (diditse) from the house. She says close to 10 churches have come to assist but to no avail. The family is surviving by donations of food items from individuals and some corporations. She says that the creature has a habit of destroying their food. “Sometimes we find the food with soil inside or water or glass particles,” she says. What is this creature? An elder Kgosiitsile Leepo, who was there during the interview, says that the creature is a combination of many evil spirits. “That is why we can’t touch it,” he says. For Keloneilwe, the creature can speak, but they cannot see it, except the children. She reveals that the creature has warned them that ‘if they don’t move from its territory, they are going to remain miserable.’ She refused to be photographed, saying the creature was going to beat her if she does so. She said that it gets terrible after 11pm as it beats them with a stick and breaks their candles into pieces. Another sister Neelo Keloneilwe says that the creature can grab their children with its force and throw them inside the nearby bush. “We would just hear them crying at once and when we look for them, we will find them inside the bush crying. There are times when it throws them into empty water tanks,” she says. Children speak A 14-year old girl says that she was supposed to go into Form 2 this year but could not because of being tormented by the creature. “It started when we were going to school last year with my sister. I thought she was throwing stones at me and she thought I was doing the same to her. “We were shocked and when we told our mothers, they said we were crazy until they saw it live. It started throwing stones at everyone in our yard,” she says. She says that the creature once threw a bag of cement at her, adding however that she escaped it. She says she wants to be a teacher. Other children said they want to be soldiers, police officers and nurses. The family pleads with the Office of the President to move them from their place of hell. “Our lives are in danger and this creature has said that until we move, it is going to keep tormenting us,” says Neelo.