Malawi witchdoctor swindles Namibian lecture

Not doctor Ali but one of witchdoctors in Malawi

 A bogus Malawian witchdoctor allegedly swindled a University of Namibia (Unam) lecturer about N$70,000, promising him a miracle fortune of N$1 million.

According the the report in the Informante of Namibia, the lecturer’s long financial curse began in late 2006, when he and his wife, who both preferred anonymity, planned to visit their relatives in South Africa.

While leaving a bank in Windhoek’s central business district in November 2006, the couple were approached by a man who identified himself as Doctor Ali, Informante reportes.

He told them he was a witchdoctor who could create financial fortune for those who need help.

Experiencing cash-flow problems at home, the couple saw the man as a golden opportunity to alleviate their financial woes, particularly considering their plans to take a holiday in South Africa.

The couple agreed to ‘Dr Ali’s’ terms to pay him N$70,000 in return for a miracle N$1 million.

The couple allegedly handed over a total of N$70,000 to ‘Dr Ali’, whose real name is now known as Jeff Mangwana Drumale.

The handover allegedly took place at the Herbal Medicine Clinic along Windhoek’s Robert Mugabe Avenue.

Drumale worked at the clinic, which, according to a Municipal certificate of registration, was owned by his alleged lover, an employee in the Ministry of Health, whose name is known to Informanté.

“He told us to drop the money at the cemetery at night and that once we put it there we should not look back because if we did, the deal would not materialise,” the wife of the swindled husband revealed.

“The next day we went to his office. He (Drumale) put a bunch of wet newspapers in a trunk, locked it in our presence and gave the trunk keys to us. He told us to come back the next day. He then told my husband to give him the keys, and when he opened the trunk, it was full of money.”

The wife explained that Drumale then ordered them to take the trunk home once again, and told them it should only be opened in his presence a week later. However, Drumale failed to pitch up the following week, and when the couple phoned him, he reportedly fed them a web of excuses.

“I told my husband that we should open the trunk but he refused. When I got pissed and opened it, we found a bunch of newspapers inside and there was no money,” she said.

Drumale has since gone AWOL and his contacts are not known. The certificate of the hospital he co-runs with his lover expired in March this year.

Attempts to obtain assistance from police proved fruitless, as they too were unable to trace Drumale.

“We are now in heavy debt and the banks won’t even listen to us. Maybe we can’t get our money back but we want to warn the public out there to be alert about this man,” the wife said.