Ten years instead of life...?

[EM]

I don't really know where on the forum to put this.  It would fit in Religion, Junk science...

From the article:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,9294,2-7-1442_2036950,00.html

The judge gave the offender 10 years instead of the allowed life sentence, after raping a 9 year old and saying that it was part of a ritual.

Then the cherry on top:
"When passing sentence, Judge Nico Coetzee said Ngomane was an embarrassment to honest, hard-working healers."

Peddling hocus pocus magic bull is classified as honest and hard working.  I am left feeling that the judge was lenient because of the offender's belief system.

[bluegray]

Yeah, thats possible. Also, it says he is a well-known sangoma in the area, so he probably has a lot of influence over the community. That surely carried some weight.

[Mefiante]

I am left feeling that the judge was lenient because of the offender's belief system.

Either the judge is an idiot or he doesn't have sufficient courage, i.e. he's a politician, to denounce publicly the questionable practices of sangomas.  There are some of these charlatans ponceing around who have appropriated for themselves the appelation "Dr."  One wonders just what it would take for people to understand that there's an actual and steep long-term cost - and I'm not just talking about Rands and Cents here - associated with this execrable habit of valuing respect for opinions far above factuality.

'Luthon64

[EM]

Another story on News24 about "honest, hard-working healers".

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,9294,2-7-1442_2037677,00.html

Modjadji Shivambu's family paid R25 000 to various sangomas since January last year to draw her out of the underwater world.

...this is totally getting me worked up