People in Mchinji are awed by the ‘resurrection’ of a woman who medical personnel at the district’s hospital had certified dead on 19th June, 2015 and later villagers buried her remains only to be spotted in Zambia in July this year.
The woman Juliet Chikondwa Phiri 22 was pronounced dead at around 12:00pm at Mchinji district hospital on 19th June 2015 and was put in a mortuary for four hours before being taken to Kapunula village in T/A Mkanda where she was buried on 20th June, 2015.
Sub Traditional Authority Kapunula confirmed with Mana that the woman was from his area and that she died on the said dates at Mchinji Hospital.
When MANA checked with the hospital, records showed that Juliet died of meningitis and was put on respiratory machine (Oxygen) and was certified dead by the medical personnel around 12:00pm.
Mchinji District Hospital Public Relations Officer Frank Kaphaso said the hospital had records of Juliet’s Phiri death but could not confirm that it is the same Juliet who is now alive.
“We can only confirm that it is the same Juliet if the body was exhumed and investigated but we do not have the capacity to do the investigations,” he told Mana
Juliet’s husband Madalitso Lotani said the family suspected that Juliet was bewitched when she complained of a headache and vomited black stuff and decided to consult a witch doctor Major Yohane Phiri from Nkhata-bay who gave him herbs to sprinkle on late Juliet’s grave.
“We consulted the witchdoctor who came all the way from Nkhata-bay, and he told us Juliet did not die an ordinary death and that she was still alive, we did not exhume the body” he said
Lotani said in July this year they heard rumours that his wife was seen loitering at Chanje in Zambia.
“We mounted a search and we found her lying beside the main road at Lwela village in Chanje, Zambia . We then took her to a traditional doctor in Nkhata-bay where she has been receiving traditional medicine all this while and brought her to Mchinji Police on Monday,” he narrated.
Mchinji Police Officer In-charge Maximas Bakali told Mana that the police are investigating the matter.
When Mana tried to talk to Juliet she murmured inaudible words and looked confused and was seen holding her children.
Incidences of dead people found alive are common in Mchinji district, in November last year a boy who had died was seen alive in neighbouring country of Mozambique.
People say dead people do not die but just disappear and are used for rituals by business people. Mana
