The M’mbelwa District Council (MDC) has called for an immediate end to witchcraft accusations, violence against suspected witches and the involvement of witch-finders in communities.
Director of Administration for MDC, Hastings Dowe, made the call during a community engagement meeting held at Manyamula Cooperative, which brought together various stakeholders to discuss the continued problem of witchcraft-related accusations and violence in Mzimba District.
The council has also urged traditional leaders, law enforcement agencies, faith leaders and community structures to take an active role in changing attitudes and practices that have contributed to the persecution of people, particularly the elderly.
Speaking during the meeting, Dowe strongly condemned the practice of accusing elderly people of witchcraft, warning that such accusations can have serious legal consequences.
“Such accusations are not merely harmful social practices but can amount to a criminal offence under Malawi’s Witchcraft Act, which prohibits accusing or identifying another person as a witch outside lawful reporting channels, and prohibits employing or soliciting witch-finders to identify alleged witches,” Dowe said.
Dowe also referred to this year’s Umtheto celebrations, where the same message was emphasised, recalling a speech by Inkosi Ya Makhosi M’mbelwa in which the traditional leader strongly condemned the practice of chiefs calling witch-finders into their communities.
He stressed that the message should not end with public gatherings but should translate into action at community level.
“This message must go far. Every person in this house must become an agent of change,” he said.
Dowe challenged chiefs, Village Development Committees (VDCs), Area Development Committees (ADCs), faith leaders, the police, extension workers and ordinary citizens to take responsibility for changing attitudes that have contributed to the persecution of elderly people.
Giving a situation report, MDC Social Welfare Officer Prisca Zimba said witchcraft accusations remain a serious concern in Mzimba, with cases continuing to be reported despite sustained awareness campaigns.
According to Zimba, Mzimba recorded 21 cases in 2024, before the figure dropped to 17 in 2025. Although the decline initially offered hope that the situation was improving, continued reports in 2026 indicate that the progress remains fragile.
She said the wider situation being monitored in 2026 had reached 56 cases, with M’mbelwa, Mzikubola, Chindi and Kampingo Sibande among the areas featuring prominently in the reports.
Zimba said particularly worrying was the fact that witchcraft accusations have resulted not only in social exclusion and humiliation but also in physical assaults and loss of life.
Mzimba Police Station Victim Support Unit Coordinator Peter Chima warned that people found accusing others of witchcraft would face the law, urging communities not to attribute natural deaths to witchcraft.
He encouraged communities to understand that death is a natural part of human life and cautioned against automatically attributing deaths to witchcraft.
“Everyone has a birthday, and everyone will have a day when they die,” Chima said.
Chima urged community members to report anyone who accuses another person of witchcraft, claims to be a witch or wizard, identifies another person as a witch, employs or brings a witch-finder into a village, or deliberately spreads fear against an individual by labelling them a witch.
NICE Trust Programmes Officer for Mzimba, Aaron Luhanga, encouraged participants never to tire of seeking and defending the truth, describing witch-finders as “pure businessmen” who can exploit people’s fear and vulnerability for financial gain.
He challenged communities to value senior citizens, describing them as “our books of wisdom” whose experience and knowledge should be protected rather than used as a basis for persecution.
Chairperson of the Mzimba District Interfaith Committee, Bishop Amin Mwamlima, warned communities against blindly trusting everyone who presents themselves as a prophet or spiritual leader.
Mwamlima urged Christians and communities to exercise discernment, noting that false prophets and individuals who exploit fear can exist even within communities.
Village Headman Chikhwengwe Nkhata, drawing from his experience as a traditional leader, particularly in cases where the death of a child triggered witchcraft accusations, called for greater unity among communities and leadership structures.
He said the fight against witchcraft accusations cannot be won by government alone, urging chiefs, the police, faith leaders, community structures and ordinary citizens to work together if efforts to end witchcraft-related accusations, violence and the use of witch-finders are to achieve lasting results.
