consider this when you advance the premise that everyone is equal and sensible. in africa, if you ain't careful, some one might steal your 'junk'. this certainly removes that idea that we're all equal in abilities; 

 

A man goes to a restaurant for lunch. Minutes later, he is dragged outside by a crowd, beaten and left fighting for his life.

His alleged crime? The mob believed he had somehow stolen another man’s genitals. This was not an isolated incident.

A bizarre belief that a person can make a man’s penis or testicles shrink or disappear simply by touching him has triggered a wave of violence across parts of Africa. The BBC Global Disinformation Unit was the first to report the scale of the crisis, finding that more than 80 people were killed between October 2025 and July 2026 following false accusations of so-called “genital theft”.

The rumours have been reported in eight countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi and Kenya. The BBC’s death toll, however, was compiled from police data across six countries.

The allegation sounds bizarre: a simple touch, sometimes described as a tap on the shoulder, can supposedly cause a man’s genitals to shrink or disappear.

Videos circulating online have shown men claiming that their penis or testicles have vanished or become smaller after coming into contact with strangers.

Those accused are then confronted by crowds, who demand that they return the supposedly stolen body parts.

The belief is not entirely new. The BBC reported that similar accusations surfaced in DRC as far back as 2008. The latest wave appears to have begun in the Central African nation before spreading to other parts of the region.

But the consequences this time have been deadly..........more.............