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Bad Sister African Folklore Story

Bad Sister African Folklore Story

Mushonga the Bad Sister is a popular South African Folklore story of brutal jealousy and an obsession that ends in the horrific murders of three innocent brothers.


Mushonga the Bad Sister is a popular South African Folklore story of brutal jealousy and obsession that ends in the horrific murders of three innocent brothers.
Bad Sister

 Bad Sister African Folklore of Poor Jealous Mushonga.

Mushonga was the only daughter of Lightning and Rain . One day, Lightning’s three sons from another marriage came to visit their baby sister for the first time in 15 years. Mushonga did not know her three brothers though the township people said, "Do not you see they are your brothers?" Mushonga was jealous she was no longer her father’s center of attention and decided to kill her three brothers that very night.

The three brothers had, however, a Guinea fowl who watched over them their entire journey to their father’s house. Mushonga begged her boyfriend and his four brothers to help her in her murderous plans and they agreed. However, when the men crept near, in order to kill Mushonga’s brothers, the Guinea fowl made loud screeching noises warning of danger.

The murderous men attempted to sneak up on the three brothers a second time but were once again scared off by the Guinea fowl’s loud noises. They gave up their plans but Mushonga would not since she was determined to be the center of her father’s world.

Mushonga then stole again upon them. The Guinea fowl made a noise, but broke the rope by which it had been fastened, and ran into the desert . She then killed her brothers. When the Guinea fowl came near home it wept aloud, "Mushonga has killed her brothers! Alas! She has killed her brothers!"

Rain heard the Guinea fowl crying , and said to her husband—

"Do not you hear what the bird weeps for?

Lightning turned to his wife with tears in his eyes and said, "Come wife and turn yourself into a mighty thunderstorm, and I will become fire." They transformed themselves and when they came near the house where their sons had been killed, they combined and became a thunderstorm of fire and rain, and destroyed Mushonga boyfriend’s house and all his brothers killing everyone inside.

But because of her murderous jealousy, the worst punishment was saved for Mushonga who was cursed with the spell of living forever and was banished from the village forever tormented to wander the desert alone and loveless.

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