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- 39 -preventatives generally called "UMSEKELo" or"UMATHUNGA" (Cyrtanthus obliquus) or "UMKHUHLU"(Strychnos) and several other plants, many ofthem apparently possessing tonic properties.For procuring abortions, "UHLUNGUHLUNGU"(VERNONIA CoRYMBoSA) was their usual stand-by.96)2.4.4 CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY.Because of ,the fluid and uncertain nature of theZulu conception of property in traditional times,it is impracticable to deal fully with the importantgroup of crimes against property. The Zulu landsystemwas communal. There were no privately ownedestates. The whole country belonged to the clan. 97)In trueZul~thought all land belonged to the King:or Chief as the representative of the nation as awhole. 9B) All that his s~bject had was the rightto use the land allotted to them by the King.Property crimes 99) were,inter alia, the following:(a)THEFT~Theft appears to have been both a crime (publicwrong) and a delict (civil wrong). Theft wasrarely committed. Thieves were classified intomanifest and non-manifest thieves. The formerwere criminals who were caught in the act ofstealing and were usually punished by death.The latter were those who were not caught redhanded.They w~re, as a rulE, expected torestore the stolen property or ~ts value. 100)An interesting feature was the method in whicha person suspected of stealing garden producewas detected. When theft of crops was suspected,part of the corn or maize was taken from the96) Ibid., p. 62997) Ibid., p. 46798) KRIGE., ~.J.: op.elt., p. 17699) 5CHAPERA, I.: op.cit., p_ 207100) Ibid., p. 20740/ •••••