Elderly Woman Shunned Over Witchcraft Allegations
In Nhakiwa, Mutoko, a 69-year-old woman contends with societal rejection and severe health conditions following accusations of witchcraft from her own relatives.
Morgan Riley
- 2023-12-27
- Updated 04:07 PM ET
(NewsNibs) - Joice Ngandi, once a co-owner of a house in Warren Park, Harare, navigates a challenging life after her divorce and the subsequent loss of her house. The mother of five, bereaved by the death of one child, has faced relentless estrangement from all her children and extended family. This alienation is rooted in the belief that she is responsible for family misfortunes through witchcraft, an accusation that has led to her current dependency on the benevolence of strangers and periods of wilderness dwelling.
Diminishing Health and Temporary Shelter
Ngandi confronts a multitude of health issues, including cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, stomach ulcers, and heart complications. These ailments come in the wake of her eviction from rental housing in Harare due to non-payment, where she also lost her personal belongings. Her health struggles, compounded by her son's assertion of her alleged influence on his child's disability, exacerbate her isolation. Throughout five years of silence from her offspring, one dwelling overseas and another in Botswana, she has received no support, not even a ride in their vehicles, which they fear could be cursed. Despite these hardships, she finds temporary refuge with a family in Gombiro, Nyatsime, who discovered her in a vulnerable state. However, this respite is short-lived, as her stay is set to expire in December.
Contradictory Claims and Seeking Solutions
Ngandi's plight spans back to her divorce in 1981, after which she raised her children as a single mother. Her quest for relief from the stigma of witchcraft has taken her to courts and the Girl Child Network, and she expresses a keen desire to seek aid from apostolic sects or traditional healers. Interestingly, amidst the blanket rejection, one of her children, Armtage Nhau Chikuse, a 42-year-old minibus driver, disputes the family's claims and contends that his mother is merely misunderstood. Chikuse insists on providing his mother with regular financial aid and provisions for festive occasions like Christmas.
A Broader Societal Concern
The case of Joice Ngandi underscores a broader societal dilemma where elders are often unjustly labeled as witches. Priscilla Gavi, the executive director of HelpAge Zimbabwe, echoes the sentiment about this troubling issue. Furthermore, religious figure Mateo Mupfumbati from Harare decries the gravity of falsely accusing a parent of witchcraft as a serious social offense. As Ngandi contemplates her somber reality and flirts with thoughts of suicide, these conflicting perspectives highlight a need for societal introspection and compassion towards the elderly amidst such baseless and destructive accusations.
