Malawi’s Minister of Local Government, Dr Ben Malunga Phiri, has said high illiteracy and poverty are the main drivers behind attacks on elderly people over witchcraft accusations in the country. Phiri made the remarks in Mzimba on Sunday during a stakeholder engagement, held in the wake of a recent case in which three people died […]
Business came to a standstill for over five hours in Nkhotakota on Sunday as irate villagers blocked the lakeshore M5 Road at Chia Bridge in the district, demanding the release of a witchdoctor who was arrested by police over witchcraft allegations. Police had to be called in and fired teargas to quell the situation before […]
Malawi Police in Dowa have arrested a 28-year-old man for accusing a couple of stealing money through magic. The police have arrested 28-year-old Lingison Simba at Mponela trading centre for allegedly causing havoc after accusing a couple of stealing money through magic. Mponela Police spokesperson Kaitano Lubrino said prior to his arrest, Simba went to […]
A rights activist has told parliamentarians to prioritise the review of the Witchcraft Act to avert more killings of the elderly. Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Michael Kaiyatsa’s call comes as parliament starts meeting this week. He said parliament should fast-track the review of the 1911 witchcraft Act and commit more […]
Some villagers in Dedza have burned a dead body claiming it was turning and transforming into an animal. People from Chiomba village in the area of Traditional Authority Chilikumwendo in Dedza yesterday burnt the body of a 76-year-old woman, saying was transforming into a lion. The villagers believe the old lady might have been a […]
The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and the Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) have condemned the recent killing of 67-year-old woman, Esinala Mbowe, of Karonga over allegations that she killed her son through witchcraft and has called on government to take serious efforts to not only to protect innocent souls of […]
Experts, traditional leaders and other stakeholders are meeting in Lilongwe to formulate a law that would recognize and criminalise witchcraft. This follows a spate of incidents across the country where the elderly have been killed in cold blood over allegations that they were practising witchcraft The stakeholders, attending the national consultative workshop on the review […]
Community members from Karonga and Chitipa districts have been urged to report to witchdoctors who claim to be witch-hunters to relevant authorities such as police. Karonga-Chitipa Cultural Heritage Patron, Paramount Chief Kyungu made the call following the brutal killing of three elderly people in Karonga over allegations that they were practicing witchcraft. In a communiqué […]
A 40-year-old woman was on Saturday stoned to death by an angry mob in Dedza District for being suspected to have killed her sister in-law through black magic though hospital diagnosed her (deceased in-law) with malaria. Dedza Police Deputy Public Relations Officer Sergeant Cassim Manda identified the stoned woman as Namatunga Tisauke Phiri. He said […]
Angry mob on Wednesday night lazed down a house belonging to parents of Justine Matola who is being suspected of killing a 60 year old widow Getrude Banda over witchcraft accusations. According to Mangochi police public relations officer, Inspector Rodrick Maida the suspect on Monday night murdered Banda on the accusations that the deceased has […]
An irate mob in Ntchisi has killed an elderly couple on allegations that it was practicing witchcraft. Police spokesperson in the district Richard Kaponda said the mob raided the house of the two in the morning of November 19 and killed them. “The mob said the two were teaching their children witchcraft,” said Kaponda. The […]
Malawi Police have arrested a suspect in the gruesome Neno murders when two elderly people were hacked to death on accusations of witchcraft. Last week, the social media was awash with pictures and a video clip in which a man in Neno was seen hacking to death the two elderly men at Nseula village in […]
About 26 people, mostly elderly people, are seeking refuge at a police station in Karonga after their houses were demolished on accusations of witchcraft. Karonga police station spokesperson Peter Kalaya said the houses were demolished on Sunday after the people were accused of witchcraft for the missing of man in Chief Mwanyongo Mwambuli village in […]
Malawi Police in Mzuzu on Tuesday arrested three men for being found in possession of human bones. National Police spokesman James Kadadzera confirmed the arrest of three men but could not furnish more details, saying investigations are still underway. Police sources say one of the suspects disclosed that the bones were of his ex-wife who […]
Malawi Police Service in Nkhotakota are hunting for 23 year-old Jonas M’bwana for allegedly assaulting 92 year-old Bernard Milius who eventually died at the district hospital over witchcraft allegations. Nkhotakota Police publicist, Williams Kajoloweka Kaponda, confirmed the incident and said that a postmortem conducted showed that Milius died due to severe head injuries. Said Kaponda: […]
A man has been arrested after he was found with a dead child’s body aboard a train on the Limbe-Nayuchi route in Balaka, police have said. Eastern Region police spokesman Joseph Sauka confirmed the arrest of the man he identified as James Majawa, 28, of Chimphamba Village, Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka. He said other […]
Malawi Police Service in Dedza have arrested six people following a violence which erupted over a death of a Standard 2 learner whom some sections of society said his death was as a result of witchcraft. Assistant public relations officer for Dedza Police Cassim Manda said the violence erupted in Chiphazi village in chief Kaphuka’s […]
Villagers in Mchinji are demanding the exhuming of a relation’s body so that they do rituals, saying they forgot to use a window to take the body out of his house. The relation, only identified as Msakuwa, is said to have told his relations to take his body out of the house using a window […]