'Demons' Wreak Havoc In North
The Namibian (Windhoek)
November 18, 2005
Posted to the web November 18, 2005
Oswald Shivute
Oshakati
MANY people in the North are fearful about a spate of incidents where what
they call demons are terrorising people with mysterious phenomena.
More than 10 pastors and school authorities are struggling to deal with
cases of bewitchment at schools and in villages.
A 17-year-old schoolgirl from Oshidhiya village in Ohangwena Region, in
Grade 8 at Ozizi Combined School, says she cannot wear clothing because it
catches fire spontaneously.
Johannes Nghidipo (21) from Elyalyatika village in the Omusati Region is
in the Oshakati Hospital with feet so burnt that they may have to be
amputated.
And 41 schoolchildren - 39 girls and two boys - at Mumbwenge Combined
School near Oshigambo in Ohangwena are falling to the ground in school,
screaming for Satan to leave them alone.
"We really do not know what to do," Helena Makili, the Principal of
Mumbwenge Combined School, told The Namibian yesterday.
She said that the whole school - 514 pupils from Grade 1 to 10, 16
teachers, two cleaners and a secretary - is stunned by the phenomenon.
"This has never happened at our school and we are praying to our Lord to
stop these demons as soon as possible," Makali said.
She said the incidents started on July 8 among children in Grade 3 and it
has now spread to other classes, except in Grade 1 and 10.
"We have reported the incident to our School Inspector, Linus Nakamwe, and
to our Director of Education for Ohangwena region, Josia Udjombala, who
still has not come to see us," she said.
The school has called in parents and had meetings, and then decided to
take the concerned children to Onandjokwe Hospital, where no illness was
found.
PASTORS CALLED IN
The principal decided to contact pastors from different churches and seven
have come to pray over the children.
Pastors Titus Kasindani Ngula, Hosea Namupala, Simon Iitula, Kleopas
Amaambo, Nikodemus Ngula, Efraim Angula and Salom Elago all tried praying,
laying hands on the children who are falling and screaming, but nothing
has stopped the "demons".
Children continue to fall, and to scream.
The school then called in pastors from Jesus Centre Church and from the
Universal Church who also came and prayed for the victimised children, but
without success.
"All those pastors who came couldn't stop the demons and the children
continue to be molested by these demons," Makili told The Namibian.
She said that the children are seeing a black thing with a long stick.
"Go away Satan, leave us and our teachers, Satan, we were sent to school
by our parents to learn and not to be molested by you," the children
apparently call and scream when this starts, said Makili.
"We are still calling to all Namibians and the whole world to come and
help us in this big problem," Makili said.
She said education at the school has been seriously hampered this year and
she did not know whether "they will harvest fruit, in results," as usual.
The Principal of Ozizi Combined School, Armas Kashiimbi, told The Namibian
that one of the schoolgirls is being molested by some mysterious
phenomenon.
Her clothing always catches fire when she is at her parents' home.
But she is better when she is at school, according to Kashiimbi.
A source from this girl's village (Oshidhiya) told The Namibian, that when
this starts, she has to be naked to avoid getting burnt.
"The family is really in a big problem and is seeking help from the
spiritual leaders," the villager said.
HOSPITALISED
Klaudia Silas (45) from Epangu village near Okahao in Omusati Region told
The Namibian that her son, Johannes Nghidipo, mysteriously burnt both his
feet at a witchdoctor's house at Okapyakambidhi in Omusati last Thursday
night.
She said Nghidipo was staying at her uncle Iita Namashana at Elyalyatika
village near Ogongo when this happened.
She said on November 2, a woman named Angelika from Elyalyatika village
asked Namashana for permission to allow her son to help her take a black
cow to a certain witchdoctor at Okapyakambidhi, where she wanted to
graduate as a witchdoctor.
(Black cows are traditionally given as a compensation to witchdoctors who
are grooming other witchdoctors).
While there, Silas told The Namibian, her sons feet were mysteriously
burnt, probably while he was sleeping with others.
"We took him to Oshikuku Roman Catholic Hospital and he was transferred to
Oshakati State Hospital. I was told by his doctors that both feet will be
amputated on Friday (today). I really do not know what that witchdoctor
has done to my son," Silas said.
She reported the incident to the Ogongo Police but they apparently told
her that this is a traditional thing and she should go to her traditional
headman.
"We went to the headmen, but were told to go to hospital," she said.
Silas said the headmen do not want to deal with this case because they are
afraid of becoming bewitched.
Nghidipo told The Namibian that he did not know what happened to him
during the night of Thursday 3 November.
Speaking from his hospital bed in Oshakati State Hospital, Nghidipo said
that on November 2, he and his nephew John Mathew helped the woman named
Angelina to take her cow to the witchdoctor Kaputu's house at
Okapyakambidhi.
"That evening, the cow was slaughtered by Angelika, because she had to do
it.
After she had drunk the blood of the cow and eaten other inside meat,
uncooked, meat was then cooked for all of us and the graduation ceremony
continued. Witchdoctor Kaputu accepted meme Angelika as a witchdoctor. The
feast continued the next day."
On Thursday night, they went to sleep and when he woke up the next morning
he noticed that both his feet were seriously burnt.
"I didn't feel pain, although I was seriously burnt, only later I started
to feel pain. Nobody could explain how was I burnt and why," Nghidipo
said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200511180006.html
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