You could also title this article “Don’t Practice Witchcraft In Southeastern Africa While Cursing Your Neighbor To Drought,” because that’s what officials in Malawi say 35-year-old Ckumbeni Mwanatheu did to his neighbor after a dispute. He cursed his neighbor’s land to not get rained on, and as a result, Mr. Mwanatheu has received two months in prison and hard labor for his witchcraft. As it turns out, this is for Mwanatheu’s safety! While witchcraft is punishable by 5 years in jail, most witches in Malawi get torn apart by angry mobs before they can serve time.
Magistrate Lameck Mkwapatira, the presiding judge on the case, said that the suspected witch, “needed to be given a custodial sentence to let the community enjoy peace in his absence and for his own safety.” That’s putting it mildly. Two months in a prison camp or getting shredded by angry neighbors? I’ll take the hard labor, thanks.
Tags: Malawi, Africa, man gets prison sentence for witchcraft, man gets prison and hard labor for cursing neighbor, curses, witchcraft, Ckumbeni Mwanatheu, Magistrate Lameck Mkwapatira, law and order, crime and punishment