Woman nearly buried alive over witchcraft accusations

Christina Chiwoko, 56, was nearly buried alive by some irate community members of Mwanza Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chiwere in Dowa on witchcraft accusations.

A situation report from Dowa Police Station which The Nation has seen indicates that the police have since arrested Pilirani Chelumani, 29, for allegedly  starting and circulating a rumour that Chiwoko killed her sister for rituals, which led to the attack.

Reads the report: “On 27 December 2023, Glades Chiwoko, sister to the victim [Christina Chiwoko] died suddenly after suffering from a headache. The suspect [Pilirani Chelumani] started spreading rumors that the deceased died due to the ritual powers of her sister.”

The report further says on December 28 2023, at around 2pm, the villagers confronted the victim, locked her up while they dug a grave to bury her alive alongside the remains of her sister.

In a leaked video clip circulating on WhatsApp forums, the visibly traumatised woman buried up to the neck was being forced to admit practising witchcraft and to name others who practices with her.

“Who are your accomplices? How many are you in your group and who keeps your witchcraft materials?” unidentified person is heard interrogating the woman.

According to the report, the woman was rescued by police officers who had rushed to the scene upon receiving a tip and arrested Chelumani.

In an interview yesterday, Dowa Police public relations officer Alice Sitima confirmed the incident, but said there were still meetings taking place over the matter hence she could not provide further details.

Over the years, the elderly have been subjected to different forms of torture in different communities for being suspected of practising witchcraft.

According to the Malawi Network of Older Persons (Manepo), 25 elders were killed in 2023 on witchcraft accusations, while 56 were harassed in various ways.

Manepo executive director Andrew Kavala said there is a need to join hands in the fight for the rights of the elderly who are mostly accused by their own close relatives.

 “Most of these cases are perpetrated by close family members, something that is very difficult to control because it happens within a family setup. We need a multi-sectoral approach which will take family members aboard to end this,” he said.

On her part, Malawi Human Rights Commission executive secretary Habiba Osman said the country has not done well in safeguarding human rights, including the rights of the elderly who deserve respect from society.

Chiwoko comes from Thukwi Village, T/A Khombedza in Salima while Chelumani comes from Kalizi Village, T/A Chiwere in Dowa.