Panty Theft Shock: Trainee Sangoma Caught Stealing Women’s Underwear In Inanda

A baffling trail of missing underwear that has unsettled residents of Mnhlonhlweni in Inanda, north of Durban, came to a dramatic end last week after a trainee traditional sangoma was confronted by locals and linked to the thefts.

What many initially dismissed as a strange coincidence or household oversight escalated into a community scandal when residents discovered that dozens of women’s undergarments had allegedly been stolen from washing lines over several months.

Community Confrontation Ends Months-Long Mystery

The turning point came on Wednesday when residents spotted the aspiring sangoma removing women’s underwear from a washing line. He was stopped by community members, sparking a tense confrontation as more residents gathered.

Pressed to explain himself, the man claimed he had not acted alone. He alleged that a local inyanga had instructed him to collect the underwear, though the herbalist was not present at the scene to respond to the claims.

Residents demanded to see where the missing items had gone.

Refuse Bags Reveal Scale of Underwear Theft

The man reportedly entered a room in the house and returned carrying three large black refuse bags. Inside were women’s underwear of various styles and sizes, including briefs, boyshorts, hipsters and thongs.

The discovery left many residents visibly shaken. A video later shared widely on social media shows the underwear being emptied onto the floor as women scream in disbelief. Some are seen searching through the pile, recognising and retrieving items they said had disappeared from their homes.

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A voice in the video can be heard calling on women from Dube Village and surrounding areas to come forward and identify their missing underwear.

Victims Describe Confusion, Fear and Emotional Impact

Several women said the thefts had caused distress and confusion long before the suspect was exposed.

Zandile Mngoma said she repeatedly questioned how underwear could vanish while the rest of her laundry remained untouched. “I lost more than 10 panties. I never imagined someone would target only underwear,” she said.

Zama Khumalo said the scale of the stash raised troubling questions. “It shows there was intention behind it. Why they kept them for so long, only they know,” she said.

Slindile Mbanjwa said the incident made her fearful of those living around her. “We now know there are people among us who see nothing wrong with doing this to women,” she said.

One woman, who asked not to be identified, said the experience had affected her emotionally and physically. She claimed her menstrual cycle became irregular after her underwear went missing.

Another resident, Nonhlanhla Khumalo, said she also experienced health concerns. “A healer I consulted told me the problems started when my panties were stolen,” she said.

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A separate woman alleged that she had previously gone to the inyanga’s house after hearing rumours about stolen underwear being kept there. “When I asked for mine, they gave them back without any resistance,” she said.

No Police Case against the sangoma

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, residents said they did not plan to open a police case, claiming the man appeared disoriented and not fully coherent.

Online reaction has been swift, with social media users offering competing theories. Some suggested fetish-related motives, while others claimed women’s used underwear can be sold for large sums in prisons — speculation that has only deepened community anger and unease.

For now, residents say the mystery that haunted their washing lines has been solved, but the disturbing questions it raised remain unanswered.

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