Swaziland has launched a crackdown on high-flying witches after banning them from hovering above 150metres.

It has been a long time since witches were burnt at the stake in Europe but the accusation remains a serious one in the landlocked African country.

Anyone caught flying their broomstick above the height limit faces arrest and a hefty R500,000 fine, the country’s civil aviation authorities said this week.

‘A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,’ corporate affairs director Sabelo Dlamini told The Star.

The new aviation law was highlighted after a private investigator was caught flying a helicopter equipped with a video camera to gather surveillance information.

Witchcraft is taken seriously in Swaziland where many people believe in the power of black magic.

Last year a leading Swazi MP called for a hike in tax paid by witch doctors to help ease the cash-strapped country’s financial woes.

but not for transport.

Read more: Metro UK