Elderly couples in Oshikoto, Kavango West killed over witchcraft allegations

When Joshua Shiimi (87) and his wife, Martha Nangombe (68), first reported that their grandson (19) threatened to kill them over witchcraft accusations, they were ignored.

Nangombe returned to the police a second time to apply for a protection order, but the couple was killed before the order could be issued.

The two pensioners were brutally hacked to death at their home in Oniihwa B village in the Oshikoto region on 3 November last year.

Their bodies were discovered by a Grade 2 pupil.

Shiimi was blind and was also stabbed with a spear.

Similarly, two more pensioners were hacked to death by their grandson in the Kavango West region on 11 July last year after he accused them of witchcraft.

The ombudsman, advocate Basilius Dyakugha says this case is the latest his office has recorded over the years.

He says the elderly and the poor are more likely to be targeted by witchcraft claims because they are vulnerable and may not be able to protect or defend themselves.

He says witchcraft accusations damage the reputation of those being accused.

NINE IN 19 YEARS

The Office of the Ombudsman says at least nine elderly people were killed in Namibia between 2006 and 2025 over claims that they practised witchcraft.

Some of the cases, Dyakugha says, include a pensioner in the Kavango West region who reportedly took his life in 2019 because of the shame of being labelled a witch.

Dyakugha says the human rights of all people must be protected, including those being accused.

He says witchcraft must not be mistaken for traditional healing.

Traditional healers are allowed by law to practise, but Dyakugha warns this may never include witchcraft allegations.

NEVER CALL ANYONE A WITCH

“They must never, in their process of healing, tell people they are sick because their neighbours are bewitching them. They are lying like that. He will be charged,” he says.

“Witchcraft is superstitious, it is not something you can see. There will be no evidence, that’s why the police have had challenges in the cases. It is a criminal offence to call somebody a witch,” he said on Wednesday.

The ombudsman said this puts the lives of vulnerable elderly people at risk of violence, humiliation and death.

Dyakugha urged people who are accused of witchcraft to report the matter to the police.

The Witchcraft Suppression Proclamation Act criminalises those accusing others of witchcraft, naming them a witch or wizard, or pretending to use supernatural powers and employing witch doctors to identify culprits.

Those accusing others of witchcraft, Dyakugha said, will be fined N$5 000 or face five years’ imprisonment.

He said the public needs to be educated on human rights.

Deputy director of investigations in the Office of the Ombudsman Timothy Shangadi earlier this week said people accused of such practices face rejection from their families, losing their homes and suffering physical and emotional abuse.

He said police officers should protect those accused instead of treating the accusations as facts.

“An accusation is not proof. Elderly people are being killed unfairly,” Shangadi said.

Speaking during a human rights and ethical policing training session for police officers at Ondangwa on Tuesday, he urged police officers to treat such cases as human rights matters rather than disputes rooted in belief.

“The human rights principle suggests that age does not diminish human dignity, equality or protection under the law. The law specifically refers to the entitlement of senior citizens to social protection and a decent standard of living,” he said.

Shangadi said police officers must remain impartial when dealing with witchcraft allegations and focus on evidence and criminal conduct instead of attempting to establish whether someone is a ‘witch’.

The Office of the Ombudsman said the training will also be extended to traditional authorities.

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