Zomba granny kills herself over witchcraft accusations

Malawi Police have confirmed the death of a 69 year old granny who has committed suicide in the Eastern Region District of Zomba following accusations that she bewitched one of her relatives who died last month.

Eastern Region Police Spokesperson Inspector Joseph Sauka identified the deceased as Abiti Odala.

According to Sauka, the deceased was staying with her relatives and last month, one of her relatives fell ill and suddenly died.

“His death brought misery to the granny as she was accused of being behind the death; and this did not please her and she just thought of terminating her life and on the night of 20th September, 2018, the deceased consumed poisonous tablets [sulphur tablets] which are used to treat maize and was found dead the following morning” said Sauka.

Postmortem conducted at Chingale Health Centre revealed that death was due to anxiety secondary to poisonous substances.

The deceased hailed from Katuli Village in the Area of Traditional Authority Mlumbe in the same district of Zomba.

Meanwhile, Sauka has reminded the general public that it is an offence to accuse someone of being a witch.

Belief in witchcraft runs deep in Malawi, where curses and spells are blamed for everything from unexplained deaths to the spread of HIV/Aids to irregular rainfall.