Mob kills granny, 67 over witchcraft claims in Karonga

Angry lynch mobs taking the law into their own hands in Karonga the northern border district on Sunday, killed a 67-year-old woman Esinala Mbowe on claims that she through witchcraft  killed her 37-year-old son, Patrick Chitete.

While confirming the development, Karonga district police deputy spokesperson Frank Black said the deceased son, Chitete was ill before  he passed away on December 24, 2020 at Atupele Mission Hospital where he was receiving treatment.

The deceased has had a long illness.

However, some people in the village alleged that his mother, Esnala Mbowe was behind everything.

As a result, they mobilized themselves and killed her. There after set her a blaze.

Police rushed to the scene and managed to rescue the body after putting off the fire.

The body was taken to Karonga district hospital for postmortem.

Investigations are in process to arrest all those who were involved in the brutal killing of the woman.

Belief in witchcraft in Malawi dates back centuries as a way of explaining common misfortunes like death, failed harvests and infertility. The accusations are often made maliciously and specifically target poor and vulnerable older people.

Human rights groups have condemned the rising wave of “witch killings” and complained there have been few prosecutions – causing anxiety among elderly women living in rural villages.

Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Michael Kaiyatsa told Nyasa Times that such incidents must be strongly condemned

“Killings and abuse of older women and men as a result of witchcraft accusations is a gross violation of human rights. We are calling on the law enforcement agencies to ensure that killings related to witchcraft are treated as murder and are investigated, prosecuted and punished accordingly by the police and judiciary,” he said.

Esinala Mbowe hailed from Mwahimba village in the area of Traditional Authority Kyungu in Karonga.