Posted on 11/24/2011 2:52:27 PM PST by nickcarraway
People in Samfya, Luapula Province have taken matters into their own hands and torched to death seven suspected sorcerers in a real case of ‘witch-hunt’ that has alarmed police.
Ms Elizabeth Kanjela, the police spokeswoman who confirmed the incident to the Daily Mail yesterday said police are “holding three suspects to help with investigations” into the shocking arson and murder case. Ms. Kanjela said the incident that has been criticised by rights activists such as Simon Kabanda of the Citizens Forum occurred on Sunday in the beach town. Mr Kabanda, Constitution Technical Committee member said, “We condemn the barbaric action that was taken by the Samfya people when we have a witchcraft Act they could have used or they could have simply reported the matter to police. Such barbaric actions must not be allowed in future and we hope the law can take its course in this matter.”
The seven burnt people were suspected of practising black magic and responsible for the demise of Chief Mupaka of the same area who was struck to death by lightning while at his house recently, police said.
The police spokeswoman said relatives of the sub-chief rounded the suspects up around 13:00 hours on the same Sunday and marched them to a house of a man identified as Mateo Sichabu where they were brutalised and locked up in a house which was later torched.
The deceased are all senior citizens and have been identified as Rabson Malunga, 70, of Kabalakata village, Laban Nsombola, 85, of Chibaye Mukosa and Chamina Lubuto, 79, who is also a headman of Chamina village. It is not clear whether their old age had anything to do with why they topped the list of suspects in a place where witchcraft is not a myth but a daily ‘reality’. Others were Jenipher Mweene, 52, of Chibale Mukosa Village, Alick Bufumu , 70, of Bufumi village, a Mrs Bufumi, 60, and Green Nature, 80, of Kalimanshi village. Meanwhile, Police in Chama have arrested 19 people suspected to have set ablaze four houses in the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) compound.
Police say the arsonists believed the compound was irrelevant after Government dissolved the ZAWA board. Ms Kanjela said after the dissolution of ZAWA board, the villagers ordered ZAWA officers and their families to relocate before they burnt their houses together with their property.
She said the suspects who have been charged with arson will appear in court soon.
And a man of Mataya village in Chief Kalindawalo of Chama committed suicide after killing his wife last Tuesday. Ms Kanjela said it all started when the deceased identified as Adam Mwale quarrelled with his wife, Matilda Lungu, who had earlier travelled to Chipata to visit her relatives.
“When she (deceased) came back from visiting, she was clad in new clothes which infuriated the husband who later picked a log and hit her on the head. The woman sustained a cut on the head and later died,” she said. The bodies of the couple are lying in Petauke District Hospital mortuary.
You can't be too careful.
All cultures are equal.
MEMO TO SELF: Pretend to be a non-practitioner whenever visiting SAMFYA!
It’s amazing that this stuff is still going on in the 20th/21st Century.
Maybe the police should be more concerned about the undetected presence of seven witches in their community.
These people are in the 11th Century or before.
Never trust a muggle.
That puts them a few centuries ahead of the Mohammadans.
This actually isn’t uncommon in poor, uneducated and non-modern villages of Africa.
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So they are burning those they believe to be sorcerers, and in your other story also ZAMBIA, gays will be severely punished.
Even a rumor can get you killed-how convenient.
“we have a witchcraft Act they could have used”
How come we don’t have one of these? We could have ended the Pelosi reign of terror earlier.
I actually had a professor in college hand out a paper listing "stereotypical words with proper replacement"
For example: Jungle (racist word according to the lib) must be replaced with Rainforest...
Maybe they can replace "Sorcerer" with "Student of Hogwarts" and the bad guy can be called "He Who Shall Not Be Named!"
You couldn't pay me enough money in the world to step one foot in that turd world continent of hell.
Did anyone roast marshmallows on the pyre?
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