Residents k!ll elderly woman over witchcraft accusation.

A tragic case of mistaken belief and mob violence has left a family in mourning after a 76-year-old woman with dementia was brutally be@ten to de@th in Etwatwa, Benoni.
The elderly woman, Busi Letta Maseko, was also threatened with being burn3d alive after residents accused her of being a witch when they saw her wandering the streets in the early hours of the morning.

According to witnesses, the mob surrounded Maseko after spotting her roaming the neighbourhood at night. A video shared on the Etwatwa community social media page shows her lying helpless on the ground, encircled by onlookers. In the background, a man’s voice can be heard saying:

“Greetings, Etwatwa community. Here is an elderly woman they say they are going to burn. They say she is a witch and was found performing rituals at 3am here.”

Maseko’s heartbroken relatives say they are devastated by the community’s actions—especially because they had previously informed neighbours about her condition, hoping she would be helped and returned home safely if she ever became lost.

Her cousin, Sesana Maseko, explained that the elderly woman often wandered due to her illness:

“This time she got lost in the wrong place, because we’ll never see her alive again. We are beyond disheartened.”

Another cousin, Zakhele, suggested that someone may have misinterpreted her behaviour:

“We assume someone thought she was practising witchcraft when she showed up at their home in the early hours. Unfortunately, this is a common myth in many black communities.”

Although Maseko had struggled with symptoms for years, she only received an official dementia diagnosis last year. Zakhele recalled how her memory loss would cause confusion and frustration:

“When her sister passed away, we travelled with her to Delmas for the funeral. When we got there, she kept asking why we were there. When we explained again that we were at her sister’s funeral, she became angry and said we had never told her before. After that, we started paying close attention and keeping watch over her day and night.”

On Monday, however, she slipped out of the house unnoticed. The family immediately began searching but later received the devastating call that she had been beaten to death in the streets of Etwatwa.

Welma Geldenhuys, senior social worker at the Association of Dementia and Alzheimer’s of South Africa (Adasa) Gauteng, said the case highlights how dangerous misconceptions about dementia can be.

“Dementia is a serious brain condition that affects thinking, memory, and behaviour. It is not madness or witchcraft—it is a brain disease. While there is no cure, it can be managed, and education is crucial so that families, caregivers, and communities can respond appropriately.”

Geldenhuys stressed that dementia is not a normal part of ageing, although it often affects people over the age of 65. She added that Adasa runs awareness campaigns in clinics, churches, schools, and community centres to help prevent stigma and violence.

For the Maseko family, however, these lessons have come far too late. What should have been an ordinary night of rest turned into a fatal journey for a vulnerable grandmother—ending in an act of violence fuelled by fear, ignorance, and myth.