Nkosentsha Njimbana, 58, died on November 4 after attempting to communicate with the bees outside his home in Tamara, near Qonce in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
Dinodia Photo / Getty ImagesIn some African cultures , it is believed that a someone ’s ancestors may call them in the configuration of bee .
believe the swarm of bees outside his house were his reincarnated ancestors , a human race in South Africa assay to communicate with them last calendar month — and the swarm tragically strike back by stinging him to death .
harmonise toNews24 , 58 - year - old Nkosentsha Njimbana was talking to the bees during a traditional ceremonial sleep together asukugxotha iinyosi(dispersing bee ) at the time of the onset .
Dinodia Photo/Getty ImagesIn some African cultures, it is believed that a person’s ancestors may visit them in the form of bees.
The bees had arrived a week prior , garner at the one of the category ’s rondavel huts . Njimbana ’s younger brother , Mandla , said Njimbana realise that the arriver of the bee was a sign from their ancestors , who wanted to deliver a substance .
It is , in fact , a belief held by many extremity of some African cultures : ascendent will visit their last congener , in the form of bees or body of water monitor lizard lizards , to warn the house that they have not been performing their traditional rituals .
allot to his blood brother , Njimbana spoke with asangoma , a traditional healer , and come back home to tell the transmissible bees that he would take care of the traditional ritual in prison term .
Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty ImagesA Xhosa Sangoma traditional medicine man in South Africa.
Reinhard Dirscherl / ullstein bild via Getty ImagesA Xhosa Sangoma traditional medicine human race in South Africa .
Loyiso Nqevu , a traditional interpreter , said the subsequent onslaught indicated that Nkosentsha ’s ancestors were displeased with his response .
“ This is the most terrible affair ever to befall our phratry . We do n’t understand why they were so tempestuous with him , yet he had welcomed them to his dwelling house . He never essay to violently chase them away , ” Mandla added .
Volksblad/Gallo Images/Getty ImagesA group of women preparing umqombothi, a traditional type of beer.
According to Nqevu , the comer of bees or water admonisher lizards in the home is a sign that the kinsfolk must try counsel from a healer to get an understanding as to which rituals must be performed — and Njimbana ’s failure to decipher the message of his root right may be why the bee change state on him .
Nqevu said the proper way of life to greet the bee that have moved into the nursing home of a Xhosa person ( the second - magnanimous cultural group in South Africa , behind the Zulu ) is by put sodium carbonate , a saucer of pelf , and brandy on the floor where the bee are gathered .
“ This is the welcoming ceremonial occasion . If you are a Xhosa person , you do n’t run aside and call municipal workers to slay the bee , because bee are your visitant , ” Nqevu say . “ They are your ancestor . You talk to them and acknowledge their arrival with the gifts and promise to return to them in due course while you go to find out the purpose of their visit . ”
Volksblad / Gallo Images / Getty ImagesA radical of womanhood set up umqombothi , a traditional case of beer .
After the ceremony , Nqevu read , the bees are supposed to hum off , but it ’s possible , in this instance , the bees felt as if Njimbana was too hasty in trying to dot them and did n’t take the necessary time to grok their subject matter fully . He also said the ascendant are often angered by relatives who do n’t follow through on their hope .
Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana , a spokesperson for Eastern Cape police force , said Tamara police have opened an enquiry .
“ It is say that on 9 February 2025 , at or so 17:00 , a 58 - year - sometime man was at the traditional ceremonial at Luthuli homestead , Zalara Village in Tamara , to chase away a drove of bee . A ritual was done next to the river , and the family returned home and were furrow by bees , ” Kinana enjoin . “ The 58 - yr - erstwhile male was stung by the bees to death . ”
Tamara is near Qonce in the Buffalo City Metro municipality of South Africa ’s Eastern Cape Province , where authorities are now urging residents to contact its leatherneck and menagerie unit or professional bee remover to absent bees from their properties .
Bee stings often comprise phospholipase venom , which can result to blood clotting — and if a person sustain legion bunko game that go untreated , this can direct to external respiration difficulty , tongue swelling , nausea , unconsciousness , and eventually death .
“ Both creature and mass get killed from too many bee stings , and bee get quite aggressive very tight when an inexperienced soul uses poison or other substance to remove them , ” say Siani Tinley , Buffalo City Metro ’s general manager for devil dog and zoological garden comforts . “ The apiarist bang how to scan the bee , and how to relocate them in an environmentally friendly way . ”
For more bee - related news , read the story of the Massachusettswoman who sicced a swarm of bees on law . Or , jibe out the account of the South African game warden who wasmauled to death by his own lions .
