The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) is investigating the brutal killing of a male Chacma baboon, affectionately known as “Raygun,” who was chased at Botleng Secondary School in Delmas, Mpumalanga, beaten, and set alight. Raygun’s body was later mutilated, with his hands, feet, head and heart cut from his body.
The NSPCA is offering a R20,000 reward for information leading to a successful conviction, relating to those who were involved in harming Raygun and the origin of the video footage, and urges those who filmed the attack to come forward.
Videos circulating online went viral on Friday, 07 February 2025. Despite the footage, the school management refuses to identify those responsible. After consulting with the school management, who are responsible for the approximately 1,800 children on the property, it became clear that this case is deeply rooted in superstition regarding baboons used in witchcraft. The NSPCA was informed that the community, who allegedly initiated the chase after Raygun, requested the school to notify them if any authority attempted to investigate at the school about Raygun’s death.
The school principal – who on her own version went to move her motor vehicle from the chaos and ran back into the school building – is refusing to provide the names of the three learners who were seen chasing Raygun on the school’s roof. According to the school, ten children fainted earlier that morning, leading to the belief that the baboon was sent to cast a spell.
The community are protecting each other at all costs, making the NSPCA’s investigation incredibly difficult.
“We are horrified by this level of cruelty. Raygun was in search of freedom, in a new territory – something all baboons do instinctively,” says Chief Inspector Douglas Wolhuter, Manager of the NSPCA’s Wildlife Protection Unit. “No animal should ever endure such suffering and agony”.
The NSPCA has retrieved Raygun’s remains for a post-mortem.
The NSPCA will embark on a large-scale programme to educate children and adults alike about the sentience of animals, their protection under the law, and what to do when wildlife is encountered in built-up areas. Our goal is to have this reach television and radio, although this comes at a tremendous cost.
Anyone with information relevant to the investigation can contact the NSPCA at wild3@nspca.co.za or call 011 907 3590. All tip-offs will remain anonymous.
“Prosecution, education, or both – justice for Raygun starts with you,” comments Wolhuter.
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