The local legend of the tokoloshe is experience a resurgence in the east of the country, with salt flying off the shelves in Mpumalanga to ward off the demon. The tokoloshe-deterring salt was invented in the 1950s and has enjoyed a recent spike in sales.

The salt which retails for R5,99 for 200g, is said to add flavour to your food and tame the feisty, if diminutive tokoloshe.

Mike Elliot from MJO marketing said:

In the 50s, people began using salt to ward off the tokoloshe, with the belief that the evil boy had a great fear of the salt and would therefore not wreak havoc in the life of the user.

The demand for the product is unbelievable as these traditional beliefs are extremely strong.

According to Elliot, who is involved in the production of the salt, claims that the salt is truly a recipe for success.

The salt is blessed by a traditional healer during the production stage and this gives the salt its magical qualities and characteristics.

Apart from the salt being blessed by a traditional healer during production, the salt comes in various colours to satisfy the preferences of different tribes.

Today different tribes prefer different colours. For example, the Zulus like the colour red as it represents royalty to them. Therefore, users believe that using the right colour salt, it will prove more effective at warding off the tokoloshe.

The legend of the tokoloshe dates back a few hundred years. The narrative goes as follows: There was a very naughty boy who lived in a rural village. He was said to have caused much trouble with the traditional leader, who thus led the boy down to the beach where he threw salt on him. The salt turned the boy into an ugly creature, which angered him and caused him to be even more naughty. His disobedience forced the villagers to kill him.

[Source: News24]