Official: Swaziland witches can't fly above 150 meters

Witches’ broomsticks are apparently heavier-than-air airborne transportation devices, subject to Swaziland's aviation laws.

After a private detective was arrested for flying a toy helicopter equipped with a video camera, he was charged with operating an unregistered aircraft and for failing to appear before his chief to be questioned by traditional authorities about his toy drone.

The Swazi press asked Civil Aviation Authority marketing and corporate affairs director Sabelo Dlamini to explain the aviation statutes that led to the charge.

“A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-meter] limit,” Dlamani told them, according to Times Live. The same statute forbids toy helicopters and children’s kites from flying too high in the country’s airspace. Violators face arrest and a fine of R500,000, or about $55,000.

Swazi press said it was hard to tell if his example was serious or humorous, but many people in Swaziland do believe in witchcraft.