South Africa: Elderly fear witchcraft accusations

Michael Mzolo, 73, said more needed to be done to protect the rights of the elderly. He said old people were commonly accused of witchcraft and were attacked or even killed. “If you don’t look good in your face, people think you are a witch,” he said.

Mzolo said many people were ignorant about dementia and, rather than associating it with memory loss in old age, mistook it for witchcraft. “If they (grannies) have lost their memories, they would walk outdoors naked and people, especially young people, attack them because they think they are witches,” said Mzolo.

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