Underwear thief leaves residents scratching their heads
The stolen loot emptied from three refuse bags by an alleged serial underwear thief who had been terrorising the women of Inanda, Durban, by snatching their underwear from the washing line.
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WHAT began as an ordinary laundry day in Mnhlonhlweni, Inanda, north of Durban, took an unexpected turn on Wednesday when an aspiring sangoma turned a neighbourhood washing line into the centre of a peculiar mystery.
Residents were left blinking in disbelief after the man was caught red handed making off with women’s underwear from the washing line.
Under pressure from a crowd that included furious women and confused men recalculating their household laundry counts, the trainee sangoma named a surprising accomplice: a local inyanga (herbalist).
According to the suspect, the underwear had been collected on instruction of the herbalist and was being stored at his home. The herbalist was not present at the time.
The trainee sangoma entered a room in the house and emerged with three large black refuse bags containing women’s underwear of various kinds, including briefs, boyshorts, hipsters and thongs, allegedly stolen from laundry lines in the area. The thefts had left many women baffled as to why only their underwear was being targeted.
In a video that has since circulated on social media, women can be heard screaming in shock as the man emptied the bags, scattering the underwear across the floor. Some victims are seen rummaging through the pile, identifying and reclaiming their belongings.
The trainee sangoma (tradtional healer) who was caught at a house in Inanda, north of Durban, stealing women's underwear in Inanda after months of mystery of the disappearing underwear from washing lines in the area.
Image: Supplied
One woman is heard calling on all women from Dube Village who had lost underwear to come and check the stash.
Zandile Mngoma, of the many underwear theft victims, said the community had been plagued by the mysterious disappearances for months.
“I lost more than 10 panties from my washing line. I kept asking myself who would do such a cruel thing, only to find it was someone allegedly working with an inyanga,” she said.
Another victim, Zama Khumalo, said she had lost count of how many pairs of hers had gone missing.
“It’s clear they knew why they were taking them. What is confusing is why they kept them for so long. Only they know what purpose these panties served,” she said.
Slindile Mbanjwa said she had long searched for answers.
“Now we know that we are living with dangerous people who see nothing wrong with stealing women’s underwear for their own selfish reasons,” she said.
One woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ordeal had left her deeply distressed. She claimed her menstrual cycle became irregular after her underwear went missing.
“It fills me with sadness that I am facing such problems because of men who think they can do anything they want to women,” she said.
Nonhlanhla Khumalo echoed similar concerns, saying she also experienced her menstrual cycle twice a month.
“A spiritual healer I consulted told me this started when my panties were stolen from the washing line,” she said.
Another woman who discovered her underwear missing from the washing line alleged that she went to the inyanga’s house after hearing rumours that stolen underwear was kept there.
“When I asked for my panties, they gave them to me and I left. Nobody resisted,” she said.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, the victims said they would not report the matter to police, claiming the man who was caught appeared confused and incoherent.
While some online commenters speculated about fetish-related motives behind the thefts, others suggested that used women’s underwear can fetch high prices in prisons, a claim that has further fuelled shock and anger in the community.