MAN SLAPPED TWO YEARS JAIL SENTENCE FOR PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT

Mangochi Second Grade Magistrate’s Court on Monday convicted and sentenced a 74 year old man to serve two years imprisonment with hard labour upon finding him guilty of presenting himself as a wizard contrary to section 6 of the Witchcraft Act.

The court heard through Constable Chitsamba that the convict, Hudson Vukuni Mkandawire, in the month of February this year at Chitedze Village in the district had been, going by his statements or actions, presenting himself to be a wizard and possessing the power of witchcraft.

Chitsamba told the court that the accused confessed during interrogation that he indeed was practicing witchcraft and that he was also teaching some other three children in the village the ‘trade’.

“Your worship, actually he ordered one of the children under his tutelage to kill his mother so that they could share her flesh upon her death but the child did not oblige which forced the accused to carry out the operation on his own by hitting the mother with a hammer in her sleep,” he told the court.

The jam – packed court further heard that the child’s mother has since been taken ill since the magical attack with a swollen left arm.

Mkandawire pleaded guilty and admitted to the charge of pretending witchcraft. However, he asked the court to exercise leniency when passing its sentence on the basis that he would no longer practice the act, besides having 12 children and grandchildren combined to look after.

He also assured that the woman who was hit by the hammer would not die.

But passing sentence, magistrate Augustine Mizaya observed that Section 6 of the Witchcraft Act Chapter 7:02 of the Laws of Malawi says any person who by his statement or action represents himself to be a wizard would be liable to a fine of K50,000 or in default face ten years jail term.

Mizaya pointed out that the convict had readily accepted that by his statements and actions presented himself to be a wizard and had the power of witchcraft.

“It is from his facts and his presentation that he was teaching three children witchcraft. The practice is bad to the community because it brings disorderly and instills fear to people,” Mizaya said.

He added that the suspicion that old people practice witchcraft has subjected innocent people to mob justice and the confession by the convict contradicts what government and other human rights activists were advocating for.

Mizaya said the convict deserved a custodial punishment because it was disturbing that he could be taking children on errands at night which had an effect on their academic performance since they would be dosing in class due to fatigue.

He, therefore, sentenced Mkandawire to 24 months IHL, a penalty he said was meant to serve as a deterrent to other would–be offenders.

Mkandawire hails from Chitedze Village in the area of traditional Authority Makanjira in Mangochi.