Blood sucking fear grips Mangochi
There is fear that the ongoing blood sucking rumour which has recently hit Mangochi might affect the tourism industry, which is Malawi’s third largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Recently, the youth in Mangochi have been blocking roads at night claiming to be searching for blood suckers from unsuspecting motorists. In some cases, some innocent people have been robbed of their property by the unruly youth.
On Friday night, some motorists were blocked at Nkhuzi Bay, along the Monkey Bay-Mangochi Road by people who claimed to be looking for blood suckers.
On the same night, a 24 year old woman from Majuni Village, Traditional Authority Jalasi was taken to hospital by police officers after relatives claimed she had her blood sucked while she was asleep.
As of yesterday morning, the woman Aisha Mmadi, was still admitted at Mangochi District Hospital. She had lost her speech, and her body was weak according to a medical report.
Her mother Fatima Usi explained that on Friday, people within her village were sleeping outside their homes because they were afraid of the blood suckers.
“But my daughter refused to sleep outside for fear of being robbed of her property. Around 1 o’clock in the morning, we heard her shouting for help, saying that she was being sucked of her blood. We rushed to her house, but we found that she had lost her speech,” said Usi.
As they were rushing, Usi claims that one of them saw a man like figure fleeing the house into a nearby bush.
When asked what happened, the woman, who is still not talking just pointed to her right foot. But the foot has no sign that it was pierced.
Commenting on the development, Chairperson for Mangochi Tourism Association, Victoria Kingstone, said her body is saddened by the latest incidents which she said have the potential of affecting the tourism sector in the district.
“We are shocked and worried that this is likely to reduce the number of people coming to Mangochi. You can agree with me that you cannot talk of tourism in Malawi without mentioning Mangochi. There is need to deal with this issue once and for all before it affects the economy of the country,” Kingstone said.
Apart from tightening security, Kingstone suggested the need to sensitise the communities to avoid taking the law into their hands.
District Commissioner for Mangochi, Moses Chimphepo, said much as there are testimonies from victims, there is need to avoid rumours that can create fear among people.
“As a district, we are already affected. But I can assure you that both the Officer-in-Charge of police and I are already on the ground to make sure that there is peace and order in the district. We cannot afford to lose the peace and tranquility we have,” Chimphepo said.
In his remarks, Traditional Authority Chowe expressed concern over extra-judicial killings associated with the blood sucking myths.
Chowe observed that killing the suspects would not help solve the matter because law enforcers would not be able to know the truth behind the blood suckers.
“It is worrisome that people are being killed. We ask government to take charge and reinforce security in the country. But most importantly, people should not take the law into their own hands,” he said.
Since the start of the blood sucking rumours in Mulanje, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Nsanje and Blantyre districts, at least eleven people have been killed by mobs for being suspected to be blood suckers. Recently, the rumours have spread to Mangochi, Zomba, Balaka and Machinga districts.
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