Elifasi Msomi: Difference between revisions

Elifasi Msomi
Elifasi Msomi
Born	Elifasi Msomi; 1910; Union of South Africa
Died	10 February 1956 (aged 45/46); Pretoria Central Prison, Pretoria, Transvaal, Union of South Africa
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Other names	The Axe Killer; Tokoloshe Killer
Criminal penalty	Death
Details
Victims	15
Span of crimes	1953–1955
Country	Union of South Africa
Date apprehended	1955

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Elifasi Msomi a.k.a. The Axe Killer (1910 – 10 February 1956) was a South African serial killer who was convicted in 1955 of 15 murders and sentenced to death by hanging. His victims all came from the Umkomaas and Umzimkulu valleys of Natal.

Background

A Zulu man, Msomi was an unsuccessful young sangoma (shaman). Seeking professional assistance, he consulted with another sangoma. Msomi claims that during this exchange he was co-opted by an evil spirit, a tokoloshe. In August 1953, under the instruction of the tokoloshe, Msomi began an 18-month killing spree in the southern KwaZulu-Natal valleys of South Africa.^[1]

Crimes

Msomi initially raped and murdered a young woman in the presence of his mistress, keeping her blood in a bottle. Unimpressed with his 'new' powers, his mistress alerted the police who arrested Msomi. He escaped shortly afterwards, giving credit for his escape to the all-powerful tokoloshe.^[1]

Msomi returned to his murderous ways, killing five children before being re-arrested. He duly escaped again. Msomi was arrested a month later for petty theft. The stolen items turned out to belong to his victims and he was soon identified as the murderous culprit.

Msomi readily assisted the police in finding some of his victims' remains including a missing skull.^[1] Whether he gained further satisfaction from revisiting his crime scenes or felt diminished responsibility in light of the tokoloshe's influence is unclear. During his trial, Msomi claimed that he was merely a conduit for the evil tokoloshe.

Two psychologists disagreed, stating that Msomi was in fact of much higher than average intelligence and further that he derived sexual pleasure from inflicting pain.^[2] Msomi was sentenced to death by hanging at Pretoria Central Prison.

Superstition

However, Msomi's reference to the tokoloshe and his numerous escapes had caused a high level of consternation amongst some of the Zulu community. Upon request, the judge permitted a deputation of nine Zulu chiefs and elders to attend the hanging in order to confirm that the tokoloshe did in fact not save Msomi from his death.^[2] Even so, one chief felt that Msomi might return after death as a tokoloshe himself.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Foreign News: Tilcoloshe's Friend". 20 February 1956. Archived from the original on 8 November 2006 – via www.time.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "True Crime Libraries : Worldwide Hangings". truecrimelibrary.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020.

[Time-1] "Foreign News: Tilcoloshe's Friend". 20 February 1956. Archived from the original on 8 November 2006 – via www.time.com.

[Return-2] "True Crime Libraries : Worldwide Hangings". truecrimelibrary.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020.

[1]

[2]

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+{{Short description|South African serial killer}}
-{{Infobox Serial Killer
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
-|name=Elifasi Msomi
+{{Infobox serial killer
-|image=
+| name              = Elifasi Msomi
-|image_size=
+| image             =
-|caption=
+| image_size        =
-|birthname=Elifasi Msomi
+| caption           =
-|alias=Axe Killer
+| birth_name        = Elifasi Msomi
-|birth=
+| alias             = The Axe Killer<br />Tokoloshe Killer
-|location=[[South Africa]]
+| birth_date        = 1910
-|death=Feb 10, 1956
+| birth_place       = [[Union of South Africa]]
-|deathplace=[[Pretoria Central Prison]]
+| death_date        = 10 February 1956 (aged 45/46)
-|cause=[[Hanging]]
+| death_place       = [[Pretoria Central Prison]], [[Pretoria]], [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]], [[Union of South Africa]]
-|victims=15
+| cause             = [[Execution by hanging]]
-|country=[[South Africa]]
+| victims           = 15
-|states=
+| country           = [[Union of South Africa]]
-|beginyear=1953
+| states            =
-|endyear=1955
+| beginyear         = 1953
-|apprehended=1955
+| endyear           = 1955
-|penalty=[[Death Sentence]]
+| apprehended       = 1955
+| criminal_penalty  = [[Capital punishment|Death]]
 }}
-'''Elifasi Msomi''' a.k.a. ''The Axe Killer'' is a [[South Africa]]n [[serial killer]] who was convicted in 1955 of 15 murders and sentenced to [[Death sentence|death]] by [[hanging]]. His victims all came from the [[Umkomaas]] and Umzimkulu valleys of [[KwaZulu-Natal]].
+'''Elifasi Msomi''' a.k.a. '''The Axe Killer''' (1910 – 10 February 1956) was a South African [[serial killer]] who was convicted in 1955 of 15 murders and sentenced to [[Death sentence|death]] by [[hanging]]. His victims all came from the [[Umkomaas]] and [[Umzimkulu]] valleys of [[Natal Province|Natal]].
+== Background ==
-A [[Zulu]] man, Msomi was an unsuccessful young witch doctor or [[sangoma]]. Seeking professional assistance, he consulted with another [[sangoma]]. Msomi claims that during this exchange he was co-opted by an evil sprite, the [[Tokoloshe]]. In August 1953, under the instruction of the [[Tokoloshe]], Msomi began an 18 month killing crusade in the southern [[KwaZulu-Natal]] valleys of [[South Africa]].<ref name="Time">[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,808161,00.html. ''Time'' : Tikoloshe's Friend.]</ref>
+A [[Zulu people|Zulu]] man, Msomi was an unsuccessful young [[sangoma]] ([[shaman]]). Seeking professional assistance, he consulted with another sangoma. Msomi claims that during this exchange he was co-opted by an evil spirit, a [[Tikoloshe|tokoloshe]]. In August 1953, under the instruction of the tokoloshe, Msomi began an 18-month killing spree in the southern [[KwaZulu-Natal]] valleys of [[South Africa]].<ref name="Time">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,808161,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108113349/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,808161,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 8, 2006|title=Foreign News: Tilcoloshe's Friend|date=20 February 1956|via=www.time.com}}</ref>
+== Crimes ==
-Msomi initially [[rape]]d and murdered a young women in the presence of his mistress,<ref name="Arrest">[http://kirishta-historybites.blogspot.com/2008/12/elifasi-msomi-1956.html. ''Blogger'' : History Bites.]</ref> whose blood he kept in a bottle. Unimpressed with his 'new' powers, his mistress alerted the police who arrested Msomi. He escaped shortly afterwards, giving credit for his escape to the all powerful [[Tokoloshe]].<ref name="Time"/> Msomi returned to his murderous ways, accounting for the lives of 5 children before being re-arrested. He duly escaped again.<ref name="Arrest"/> Msomi was arrested a month later for petty theft. The stolen items turned out to belong to his victims and he was soon fingered as the murderous culprit.
+Msomi initially raped and murdered a young woman in the presence of his mistress, keeping her blood in a bottle. Unimpressed with his 'new' powers, his mistress alerted the police who arrested Msomi. He escaped shortly afterwards, giving credit for his escape to the all-powerful tokoloshe.<ref name="Time" />
+Msomi returned to his murderous ways, killing five children before being re-arrested. He duly escaped again. Msomi was arrested a month later for petty theft. The stolen items turned out to belong to his victims and he was soon identified as the murderous culprit.
-Msomi readily assisted the police in finding some of his victims remains, including a missing skull.<ref name="Time"/> Whether he gained further satisfaction from revisiting his crime scenes or felt [[diminished responsibility]] in light of the [[Tokoloshe]]'s influence is unclear. During his trial, Msomi claimed that he was merely a conduit for the evil [[Tokoloshe]]. Two psychologists disagreed, stating that Msomi was in fact of much higher than average intelligence and further that he derived sexual pleasure from inflicting pain.<ref name="Return">[http://www.truecrimelibrary.co.uk/crime_series_show.php?id=557&series_number=13. ''True Crime Libraries'' : Worldwide Hangings.]</ref> (see [[Sadomasochism]]) Msomi was sentenced to death by hanging at Pretoria Central Prison.
+Msomi readily assisted the police in finding some of his victims' remains including a missing skull.<ref name="Time" /> Whether he gained further satisfaction from revisiting his crime scenes or felt [[diminished responsibility]] in light of the tokoloshe's influence is unclear. During his trial, Msomi claimed that he was merely a conduit for the evil tokoloshe.
-Msomi's referrence to the [[Tokoloshe]] and his numerous escapes had however caused a high level of consternation amongst the superstitious [[Zulu]] population. Upon request, the judge permitted a deputation of nine [[Zulu]] Chiefs and Elders to attend the hanging in order to confirm that the [[Tokoloshe]] did in fact not save Msomi from his death.<ref name="Return"/> Even so, one chief felt that Msomi may return after death as the [[Tokoloshe]] himself.<ref name="Return"/>
+Two psychologists disagreed, stating that Msomi was in fact of much higher than average intelligence and further that he derived sexual pleasure from inflicting pain.<ref name="Return">{{cite web|url= https://www.truecrimelibrary.com/crimearticle/elifasi-msomi/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200714131557/https://www.truecrimelibrary.com/crimearticle/elifasi-msomi/|url-status= dead|archive-date= July 14, 2020|title=''True Crime Libraries'' : Worldwide Hangings.|website=truecrimelibrary.co.uk}}</ref> Msomi was sentenced to death by hanging at Pretoria Central Prison.
+== Superstition ==
+However, Msomi's reference to the tokoloshe and his numerous escapes had caused a high level of consternation amongst some of the [[Zulu people|Zulu]] community. Upon request, the judge permitted a deputation of nine Zulu chiefs and elders to attend the hanging in order to confirm that the tokoloshe did in fact not save Msomi from his death.<ref name="Return" /> Even so, one chief felt that Msomi might return after death as a tokoloshe himself.<ref name="Return" />
+==See also==
+* [[List of serial killers in South Africa]]
+* [[List of serial killers by number of victims]]
 == References ==
-<!--- See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically -->
 {{Reflist}}
+{{Authority control}}
-<!--- Categories --->
-[[[Category:South African serial killers]]
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Msomi, Elifasi}}
-[[Category:South African people]]
-[[Category:Criminals]]
+[[Category:Axe murder]]
+[[Category:1910 births]]
+[[Category:1956 deaths]]
+[[Category:20th-century executions by South Africa]]
+[[Category:Crimes involving Satanism or the occult]]
+[[Category:Escapees from South African detention]]
+[[Category:Executed South African serial killers]]
+[[Category:South African people convicted of murder]]
+[[Category:People convicted of murder by South Africa]]
+[[Category:People executed by South Africa by hanging]]
+[[Category:South African escapees]]
+[[Category:Zulu people]]