ORI GIN AL PA PER

Lightning myths in southern Africa

Estelle Trengove • Ian Jandrell

Received: 20 February 2014 / Accepted: 26 December 2014� Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Abstract Lightning kills many people in Africa every year. There is consensus in the

literature that something should be done to raise awareness about lightning safety in

southern Africa. This paper is the result of a study to find common myths, beliefs and

misconceptions about lightning in southern Africa to determine whether they have any

impact on lightning safety. It presents the most common beliefs, assesses whether they

increase people’s risk and concludes with recommendations on which myths should be

included in lightning safety material.

Keywords Lightning � Lightning safety � Lightning myths � Lightning misconceptions

1 Introduction

Lightning kills many people in South Africa every year.

Research around the world shows that people who are outdoors during a storm face the

highest risk of being killed or injured by lightning. South Africa has a large rural popu-

lation, with many people involved in subsistence farming, and it is those people, who work

outdoors tending the land or herding livestock, who are most vulnerable. Even indoors,

rural people are at greater risk since most live in houses that have no lightning protection

systems and many do not even have reinforcing steel, metal plumbing or electrical wiring

that can provide a path for a lightning current to ground (Cooray et al. 2007; Cooper and

Ab Kadir 2010). In addition, many rural homes either have thatched roofs that can easily be

set alight by lightning. In January 2014, for example, three people died when lightning

struck their Eastern Cape rondavel (traditional round hut with a thatched roof) and it burnt

down.

E. Trengove (&) � I. JandrellSchool of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg,South Africae-mail: estelle.trengove@wits.ac.za

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Nat HazardsDOI 10.1007/s11069-014-1579-4

Focusing on lightning fatalities, however, hides the true extent of the problem because

lightning injures more people than it kills—a ratio of ten injuries for every lightning death

seems to be a commonly used rule of thumb (Rakov and Uman 2003; Cooper and Ab Kadir

2010). Lightning also destroys livestock and property.

One way of addressing the problem would be to provide lightning awareness education

that reaches the maximum possible number of people with information regarding personal

safety during an electrical storm. The worldwide need for lightning awareness campaigns

is well established in the literature (Holle 2008; Lengyel et al. 2010; Ab Kadir et al. 2010).

Indeed, the decline in the number of lightning deaths in the USA has been partly attributed

to the effectiveness of lightning awareness campaigns (Holle 2008; Lengyel et al. 2010).

As long ago as 1986, Eriksson and Smith (1986) pointed out that there is a need for

lightning education in southern Africa. Subsequently, Jandrell et al. (2009) and Dlamini

(2009) reiterated the need for lightning education in southern Africa, but to date nothing

has happened in this regard.

South Africa has a very diverse population, and people from different cultural back-

grounds have different traditions and beliefs. Understanding of the myths and beliefs

regarding lightning can aid in developing appropriate public education.

This paper addresses the following questions:

• What are the common myths and beliefs surrounding lightning in different cultures in

South Africa?

• What role should these myths and beliefs play in a lightning awareness safety

campaign?

South Africa has an active lightning research community. Anderson et al. (2002) did work

on the so-called fifth mechanism of lightning injury. Blumenthal has done some work on

keraunopathology, lightning medicine and injury through lightning barotrauma (Blumen-

thal 2005, 2007, 2012). Hugh Hunt has done work on the accuracy of the South African

Lightning Detection Systems (Hunt et al. 2012). The paper by Jandrell et al. (2009) gives a

good overview of lightning research in South Africa. None of these papers tackle beliefs

and misconceptions in such detail as this paper.

2 Methodology

A qualitative approach was used for this study.

Charmaz (2005) speaks of collecting rich data for qualitative research. In this study, the

data are given richness through the use of many different sources, namely interviews,

tabloid newspapers and literature in the form of short stories, praise poetry and oral

tradition.

There is no collection or volume bringing together all the South African lightning

stories and certainly no work that has systematically researched the stories in a qualitative

way.

The starting point of the research included older African anthropological studies by

Werner (1933) and Krige (1936). Arising from these, the author identified two major

sources of oral tradition, namely the Bleek and Lloyd archive (Bleek and Lloyd 1968), and

the texts written by Bishop Henry Callaway (1868) as an initial source. These were

supplemented with collections of myth and folktales, for example, Zulu Thought Patterns

and Symbolism (Axel-Ivar 1976), and popular renditions of folktales such as Bourke’s

(circa 1948) Badoli the Ox.

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As the research progressed, it was extended to include newspaper texts from the popular

South African tabloid, the Daily Sun, as well as interviews. Interviews were conducted

with members of the Khomani San community at Witdraai in the Northern Cape and with

sangoma’s (clairvoyants), traditional healers and herbalists in the rural towns of Hlabisa

and Mthubathuba in KwaZulu–Natal in South Africa and with final-year electrical engi-

neering students at the University of the Witwatersrand. The interview subjects in the

Northern Cape and in Hlabisa were selected because their communities regarded them as

the custodians of the local traditions. The leader and some elders of the Khomani San were

interviewed. Interviews were done in Afrikaans, which is currently the mother tongue of

the Khomani San and of the first author, so no translator was required. In Hlabisa, a number

of sangomas were interviewed, because sangomas are regarded as the custodians of Zulu

tradition. Each herbalist at the Mthubathuba market was interviewed. In both of these

cases, a translator was used. Errors were minimized by translating on the fly, with the first

author present, making it easy to detect and rectify any misunderstandings.

The research also included surveys using questionnaires. Survey questionnaires were

used for a group of Grade 11 school children (approximately 16 years old) in a rural village

and groups of mining engineering and electrical engineering students at the University of

the Witwatersrand.

3 Information and discussion

3.1 Some common South African lightning myths and beliefs

This section presents some of the common beliefs and misconceptions regarding lightning

in southern Africa, namely the belief that witches can control lightning, that traditional

medicine (umuthi) can be used to protect a person against lightning, that one should cover

mirrors during a lightning storm, that some trees can protect a person against lightning, that

mobile telephones attract lightning and that a tire on the roof protects a house against

lightning. The selection of lightning beliefs in this paper illustrates that different mis-

conceptions require very different approaches in terms of lightning awareness education.

This paper does not purport to be an exhaustive account of all southern African lightning

myths and beliefs, but they were the most common ones found in different sources.

3.1.1 Witchcraft

The most common belief regarding lightning encountered in the course of this study was

that witches can send lightning to kill people or to destroy their property or livestock. This

belief is found amongst people from many different backgrounds—urban and rural, edu-

cated and uneducated. Indeed, it was clear from discussions at the African Regional

Training Program on Lightning Protection, held in Uganda in February 2013, that the

belief that witches can control lightning is widespread in Africa.

Evidence of the belief that witches can control lightning comes from a wide range of

sources: numerous conversations, formal interviews, questionnaires (summarized in

Table 1), literature and tabloid newspapers.

The use of traditional medicine or umuthi is considered to be the only antidote to

lightning sent by a witch.

Beliefs surrounding witchcraft are complex. Sangomas use clairvoyance and magic to

help people and to protect them against evil, i.e., they use their powers for good. Witches,

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on the other hand, are said to use their magic for evil (Delius 2001; Axel-Ivar 1976). They

work in secret and use potions and concoctions to kill their victims, but they can also

control lightning to kill their victims or damage their property. When somebody dies in a

way that leads the community to suspect that it was the work of a witch, a sangoma is often

consulted to try to identify the witch. The witch is then driven from the community or even

killed.

A review of the South African tabloid Daily Sun shows that belief in witchcraft is alive

and well in South Africa today. Daily Sun stories regularly mention witchcraft, often

employing exclamation marks and bold typeface.

In other parts of southern Africa, lightning is associated with witchcraft too. Dlamini

(2009) states that culturally, Swazis believe that lightning is caused either by witchcraft or

the wrath of a god or gods.

It would be a mistake to think that belief in witchcraft is confined to the rural areas or to

uneducated people. In interviews with three final-year electrical engineering students at the

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, all from Zulu families, all three asserted

that there are two kinds of lightning: natural lightning and man-made lightning sent by

witches. Their conviction that there is such a thing as man-made lightning is so firm, that it

would not be strong enough to say they believe it exists—they know it exists.

Table 1 shows a summary of information from various sources. It shows that in par-

ticular communities the belief that witches can control lightning is strong. Pabale (2006)

conducted his research in a small school in Limpopo province. The survey in the rural town

of Hlabisa in KwaZulu–Natal also showed a strong belief in witchcraft. Regarding the

survey conducted with first-year mining engineering students, it is worth noting that this is

a mixed group from many different cultures and traditions, but all of them achieved good

marks in high school physics and mathematics, otherwise they would not have been

admitted to the mining engineering degree program. Despite being maths and science

literate, there was still 28 % of the class that believed that witches could control lightning.

Heaven herds also claim that they can control lightning but use their abilities for the

protection of their communities. Their task is to chase lightning storms away. One of the

interview participants, a traditional healer in Hlabisa, said that he was able to control

lightning and make it change direction. When a storm approaches, he fills two antelope

horns with black umuthi made from stones, bones and plant roots and stems. He stands on

the hilltop and uses the horns to change the course of the lightning. He said: ‘‘When I see

the lightning coming, I point (sic) the other direction so that it does not strike my

neighborhood but strikes somewhere else. In that way I am able to protect myself, my

family and my entire neighborhood.’’

Sangoma Elliot Ndlovu (Reeder 2011) is described as chewing a particular leaf and

spitting it into the wind while reprimanding a storm. He too chases the storms away to

protect his area against hail and lightning.

Table 1 Belief that witches cancontrol lightning

Yes (%) No (%) Don’tknow (%)

Samplesize

Hlabisa Gr 11 learners 40 36 24 66

Mining engineeringstudents

28 41 31 172

Pabale [8] elders 91 9 0 11

Pabale [8] learners 82 18 0 11

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3.1.2 Current beliefs regarding umuthi to protect against lightning

Umuthi is the Zulu word for traditional medicine, made from a variety of materials, but

mainly parts of plants, like bark, bulbs, roots and leaves, as well as animal fat and other

animal parts.

In conversations with three herbalists at an umuthi market in the KwaZulu–Natal town

of Mthubathuba, all three said that they could make medicine to protect their clients against

both sent and natural lightning. The medicine to protect against natural lightning and man-

made lightning are different.

The five traditional healers interviewed in Hlabisa also each had a recipe for umuthi to

protect homes against lightning. The umuthi is made from animal bones and different parts

of plants. Other common ingredients were burnt and ground tire rubber, a common

household disinfectant and seawater. The umuthi is buried in the ground, typically in four

places around the house.

In a biography, the sangoma Elliot Ndlovu (Reeder 2011) identifies plants that, when

picked in the light of the full moon, can be used as protection against witchcraft and

lightning.

If lightning still strikes your home, even if it is protected by umuthi, the sangomas then

herbalists say it means that the magic of the witch that sent the lightning was more

powerful than that of the traditional doctor protecting your house.

3.1.3 The lightning tree

Many people in southern Africa believe that specific trees offer protection against

lightning.

The Khomani San in the Northern Cape are the descendants of the original hunters and

gatherers that lived in the Kalahari. The most striking feature of the interviews and con-

versations conducted during a field trip to the Northern Cape was the firm conviction that

the witgat tree is never struck by lightning. The witgat tree is the Boscia albitrunca, also

called a Shepherd’s Bush. When asked what people would do if they were out in the veld

and they were caught in a storm, all agreed that if there were a witgat tree nearby, they

would shelter under it, as it is never struck by lightning.

Mutshiyalo and Siebert mention different groups in southern Africa attribute the ability

to protect against lightning to the B. albitrunca, as well as the Ziziphus mucronata and

Gardenia volkensii (Mutshinyalo and Siebert 2010). Dlamini (2009) reports that the Swazi

people believe that several species of trees repel lightning, for example, the sausage tree

Kigelia africana and the Cape plane tree Ochna arborea.

3.1.4 A tire on the roof

Many South Africans believe that an old car tire on the roof of your house will protect it

against lightning—an example is shown in Fig. 1. When questioned, people do not know

how the tire protects the house. Some say that the rubber absorbs the lightning. Others say

that just like a car’s tires protect you when lightning strikes a car, it protects the house in

the same way. It is clear that the tire on the roof is a myth that people believe, but this

demonstrates that they have little understanding of the physics of lightning, since a tire on

the roof offers no lightning protection.

Pabale (2006) and Maselwa (2004) found that parents commonly told their children that

a tire on the roof protects against lightning.

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A story in the tabloid Daily Sun (Sizani 2009) perpetuated the myth that a tire on the

roof protects a house against lightning. The story, unrelated to any news event, was entitled

‘‘They’re used to fight lightning,’’ referring to tires on roofs.

3.1.5 Covering mirrors during a lightning storm

One of the most common misconceptions in South Africa is that mirrors attract lightning.

Many people of all the different cultural and language groups have recollections of their

grandmothers covering the mirrors during a thunderstorm.

Most of the rural interview participants said that they cover up the mirrors when there is

lightning. A few said that this was because a mirror could reflect the lightning and the

reflected lightning could kill you.

Table 2 shows that the belief that mirrors attract lightning is still very strong in the rural

town Hlabisa in KwaZulu–Natal. It is less strong, but still the dominant view in Pabale’s

study in Limpopo (2006) and in the survey done with mining engineering students at the

University of the Witwatersrand. It is, however, most surprising that 28 % of first-year

electrical engineering students at the University of the Witwatersrand thought that mirrors

attracted lightning. Not only did these students achieve good marks in science and

mathematics in high school (otherwise, they would not have been able to get into the

Fig. 1 Tire on the roof to protect the structure against lightning

Table 2 Do mirrors attractlightning?

Yes(%)

No(%)

Don’tknow (%)

Samplesize

Hlabisa Gr 11 learners 91 3 6 66

Mining engineeringstudents

65 22 13 172

Electrical engineeringstudents

28 54 18 174

Pabale [8] learners 63 37 0 11

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electrical engineering program), but presumably they were interested enough in electricity

to have chosen electrical engineering as their field of study.

In his research with school learners, Maselwa (2004) found that in the Eastern Cape

most pupils believed that they should cover the mirrors during a lightning storm.

3.1.6 Mobile telephones attract lightning

There is a common current misconception in South Africa that it is dangerous to speak on a

cellular (mobile) telephone during a lightning storm, because it attracts lightning (Table 3).

The majority of both the electrical and the mining engineering first-year students

believed that it would be dangerous to use a mobile telephone during a lightning storm.

3.2 Analysis and risk assessment of the myths and beliefs

In Sect. 3, a number of common southern African lightning beliefs and misconceptions

were discussed. They will be analyzed in this section and some suggestions will be made

regarding how these ideas should be dealt with in a lightning awareness effort.

The belief in witchcraft is a traditional belief that is still deeply entrenched in many

areas in Africa. All people should have freedom of religion, and it is not the place of those

that do not believe in witchcraft to dissuade those that do. Lightning education in Africa

should focus on protecting oneself against natural lightning and should steer clear of

tackling the belief that witches can control lightning. As far as lightning herds are con-

cerned, in terms of the current understanding of lightning physics (Rakov and Uman 2003),

it would be considered very dangerous to stand outdoors on a hilltop during a lightning

storm. Heaven herds’ belief that they are protecting their community is, however, a deeply

entrenched part of their culture and worldview, and it would be controversial and culturally

insensitive to try to dissuade them from doing so.

Using umuthi to protect a person or dwelling against lightning might give somebody a

false sense of safety. It seems as if the use of umuthi is quite widespread in rural areas and

people who believe in witchcraft are very likely to use umuthi. It would be advisable to

encourage people to take precautions against natural lightning, like staying indoors, and

there would be no point in trying to dissuade people from using umuthi in addition to

taking other safety steps.

The misconception that certain trees can protect a person against lightning is very

dangerous. It is important that it should be dispelled in lightning awareness material.

Regarding the myth that some trees are never struck by lightning, soil resistivity

measurements taken beneath the B. albitrunca and those taken 40 m away tracked each

other approximately, so the soil resistivity beneath the B. albitrunca does not appear to

provide more protection against a step potential in the event of a lightning strike than

standing in the open veld. Hence, one must conclude that it would be just as dangerous to

shelter beneath a B. albitrunca during a lightning storm as it would be to shelter beneath

Table 3 Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone during a lightning storm?

Yes (%) No (%) Don’t know (%) Sample size

Mining engineering students 71 17 12 172

Electrical engineering students 55 36 9 174

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any other tree. This misconception places people at a great risk, and it should be addressed

in any lightning awareness effort.

There is no scientific rationale to the belief that mirrors attract lightning. Covering

mirrors does not in any way protect a person against being injured or killed by lightning.

This is, however, a harmless misconception, because people that cover their mirrors during

a lightning storm do not increase their risk of lightning injury at all by doing so. It is

therefore not necessary to address this behavior in lightning awareness material.

It is an unfounded myth that it is dangerous to speak on a mobile telephone during a

thunderstorm. The electromagnetic waves transmitted to and from a cell phone do not

cause ionization of the surrounding air and hence do not create a preferential path for

lightning. This misconception is, however, harmless and does not need to be addressed in

lightning awareness efforts.

It is clear that the tire on the roof is a myth that people follow, believing that it works,

but this demonstrates that they have little understanding of the physics of lightning, since a

tire on the roof cannot do anything to protect a dwelling against lightning. This miscon-

ception can lead to a false sense of safety and should therefore be dispelled in lightning

awareness material.

The findings are summarized in Table 4.

4 Conclusion

The aim of this work was to investigate whether the things that people believe about

lightning could affect their chances of being killed or injured during an electric storm and

should therefore be included in lightning awareness material.

A number of myths and beliefs were documented and discussed, and the risk associated

with each was evaluated. They fall into four categories:

1. Some are harmless and do not affect people’s safety, like the misconception that

mobile telephones and mirrors attract lightning.

2. Two of the beliefs could lull people into a false sense that they are protected against

lightning, namely the use of umuthi and putting a tire on the roof of a dwelling to

protect a person against lightning. Lightning awareness material should explicitly

encourage people to take additional precautions during a thunderstorm.

3. There is a high risk associated with two of the beliefs, namely that witches can harness

lightning to kill others or to destroy their property and that heaven herds can chase

lightning away. The belief in witchcraft poses a danger to those accused of being

Table 4 Risks associated with lightning myths and beliefs

Myth/Belief Risk factor Likelihood Lightning awareness

Witchcraft and heaven herds High Medium Steer clear

Use of muthi Medium Medium Encourage people to takeadditional precautions

The lightning tree High Low Warn in awareness material

Covering mirrors Low Medium Harmless: no action needed

A tire on the roof Medium Medium Warn in awareness material

Cell phones Low High Harmless: no action needed

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witches. Heaven herds endanger themselves by being outdoors during a thunderstorm.

Both of these issues, however, are evidence of a worldview that is very different to the

current understanding of the physics of lightning in the broad lightning research

community. They constitute religious beliefs and hence it is important to respect the

communities’ views. A lightning awareness program should not attempt to convince

them otherwise and should make it clear that it is addressing only natural lightning.

4. The myth that you would be safe under a particular tree during a thunderstorm has a

high risk associated with it. It is a myth based on inaccurate information and should be

addressed in a lightning awareness or education program.

For everybody working in the area of lightning protection even one lightning death per

year is one too many. It remains of the utmost importance to create lightning awareness

material.

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