Abstract
Abstract In the Transvaal lowveld of South Africa witches are commonly associated with animals. With reference to fieldwordk conducted in the village of Green Valley, this article considers the symbolic meanings of the relationship between witches and two witch-familiars—the apelike tokolose and the snakelike mam-lambo. I argue that this relationship resonates with the duality between a person's body and its animal-like instincts and desires. Whereas the tokolose symbolizes the desire of unconstrained sexual expression, the mamlambo symbolizes people's desire for money. These familiars comment on contemporary conditions of life in the Transvaal lowveld which are marked by migrant labour, the separation of spouses and by severe economic deprivation.
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