Justice for the ‘witch of Siya’

Henriette Lamprecht – Their story is set in a traditional community in the north of Namibia. They are a culture and society ignorant of the havoc Alzheimer’s and dementia can wreak on both the sufferer and his or her family.

The community tries to oust those who are different to them, those who don’t fit in with their perception of normal behaviour.

They isolate the sufferer, who often, as in this case, lacks the financial means to access medical help, care and dignity.

This is the story of Franklide Katumbu Haingura and her son Andreas, told by the man who took it on himself to be a fighter for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia – Berrie Holzhausen.

Berrie and Andreas took the long road to the Kavango region to visit Franklide, a woman living with HIV/Aids and dementia, ousted and branded as a witch by her community.

Villagers call Franklide the “witch of Siya”, referring to the village where she and her ancestors were born and resided until 2015, explains Andreas. In that year the family, along with Franklide, had to flee the village to save her life.

Three years ago, in line with tradition, Franklide sold all her livestock and personal belongings to pay three witch doctors to help her prove she was no witch. Two found her not guilty, the third confirmed she was indeed a witch.

She laid a complaint at a local police station against the woman who made this accusation, but after two years the case was dropped. She would forever live in fear of what would become of her in a community that wanted her gone.

Berrie and her son Andreas’s mission was to lodge a new complaint against the accuser.

Berrie was determined to fight for Franklide and those alike who are maltreated and even killed in the name of superstitious beliefs accepted as a cultural and religious right.

“In 2012 Franklide was branded a witch by her neighbour, because she was hard-working, owned cattle and goats, had more than enough mahangu for her family, and a flourishing cuca shop. This despite the fact that she was living with HIV/Aids and suffered from dementia,” Berrie explained.

In most cases jealousy triggers accusations of witchcraft, and on top of this, her neighbour’s son died of a heart attack while playing soccer.

This was because the “witch” was having her way, they believed.

In January 2013 Franklide’s neighbour and her daughter launched a vicious attack on her, crushing her skull with a stone and leaving her for dead. She survived and laid a charge against the two women.

During their visit Berrie and Andreas tried to determine why relevant court documents were transferred from the court in Rundu and why the two women were released.

“Court officials just laughed at us. According to them all witches need to be send to the ‘furthest south’ where there are no trees and where they can be exposed to the sun.”

In the end it was revealed Franklide’s case was struck from the court roll because “the accused were not able to find legal aid”.

A new case was opened, renewing Berrie and Andreas’s hope in finding justice for the “witch of Siya”.

Berrie explains Franklide needs to present traditional leaders with the finding of a conventional court.

“In a case like this the traditional leaders will instruct the accuser to return everything (including goats, cattle etc.) Franklide had to pay the three witch doctors to prove her innocence,” Berrie says.

Andreas is a “super human”, says Berrie, one of the people who will succeed in bringing freedom to people living with dementia in Africa.

When his mother was branded a witch, Andreas was only 16 and in grade 10. He finished school in Rundu, 40 km from their village, paying his school and hostel fees himself by working in a quarry on weekends and holidays.

One must never put stress on one’s parents, says Andreas.

“At the end of the school holidays my hands were sore and full of cuts, but at least I could pay my school fees and what was needed to finish school,” he explains.

This year Andreas registered as a student at the University of Namibia (UNAM) campus at Rundu. His only subject is English as he wants to improve his command of the language before he starts with a Bachelor’s degree. His dream is to become a teacher.

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Alzheimer’s/dementia facts

Someone in the world develops dementia every three seconds. There were an estimated 46.8 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2015, and this number is believed to be close to 50 million people in 2017. This number will almost double every 20 years, reaching 75 million in 2030 and 131.5 million in 2050. Much of this increase will be in developing countries. Already 58% of people with dementia are living in low and middle income countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 68%. The fastest growth in the elderly population is in China, India, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbours. There are over 9.9 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3.2 seconds.

(www.alz.co.uk/research/statistics)