DURBAN - The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature has embarked on a public awareness campaign to teach people about dementia following a spate of witchcraft-related killings.
Dementia generally affects the elderly. Sufferers have severe memory loss, they lose the ability to take care of themselves, they do not recognise loved ones and they also sleepwalk.
The awareness campaign was headed by the legislature's portfolio committee on quality of life. The campaign, which would be rolled out throughout the province, kicked off in Jozini under Umkhanyakude District on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, quality of life committee chairperson Phumzile Mbatha-Cele said following the murder of mostly old people suspected of witchcraft, the legislature felt that a campaign was needed to teach people about dementia, as it is believed to be witchcraft in rural areas.
Mbatha-Cele said the government’s survey in the province revealed that the killing of old people who were falsely accused of practising witchcraft was prevalent in Umhlabuyalingana and Jozini under Umkhanyakude.
“We came to this district after our survey revealed that the use of muti and traditional healing was rife here. Umkhanyakude is famous for the use of muti and traditional healers. People believe that traditional healers are synonymous with witchcraft. This increases the suspicion rate among the people. Senior citizens become soft targets and those showing signs of dementia become victims,” said Mbatha-Cele.
She said there had been reported cases of possible dementia especially in Jozini, Ubombo, where senior citizens had been killed for allegedly being involved in witchcraft.
She said in a recent incident, an elderly woman and her granddaughter were killed in their home when it was torched in an attack, suspected of witchcraft.
“In November 2021 at Ekulingweni, a grandfather and grandmother were shot at after they were suspected of witchcraft. The grandfather died at the scene and the grandmother died in hospital after having informed the police of the perpetrators.”
She further said her committee had discovered that there was a very low level of understanding among community members regarding dementia. This lack of understanding was especially prevalent among the youth, revealed by the survey to be active participants of crimes directed at old people possibly suffering from dementia.
She said there was a high level of adult illiteracy in the district, adding that more than 27% of adults had not received any form of schooling.
Mbatha-Cele said her committee had invited Social Development and the police to be part of their campaign, and they were encouraging people to open cases. She said part of the recommendations her committee would take to the government was to build an old age home in the district.
The World Alzheimer’s Report revealed that as of 2013, there were an estimated 44.4 million people with dementia globally.
According to South Africa’s 2011 census, there were approximately 2.2 million people living with some form of dementia in the country.
Daily News