65-year-old widow accused of witchcraft recounts difficulties as she prays to die

A 65-year-old widow who resides at Dome in the Greater Accra Region, Mary Acquah prays she dies, as she is unable to bear the difficulties she is facing in life.

The mother of two said her efforts to make life easy for herself and her children have proved futile.

She recounted how she was paid One Hundred Ghana cedis (Ghs 100) as monthly salary by ZoomLion for sweeping the streets every morning.

Despite the paltry amount she was being paid, the struggling old woman said her salary was withheld for close to nine months.

In all her difficulties, her relatives did not give her a helping hand but taunted her as a witch accusing her of killing her husband.

Madam Acquah said her difficulties compounded so she had to take up the selling of plastic products to be able to cater for her children who live with benevolent individuals. “When I started selling plastics after sweeping the streets each morning, I was told by my supervisors not to close at 7 am any longer. They asked me to come to the office and stay there until noon even when my salary was in arrears of nine months. I disagreed with them because it was from the profit of selling the plastic that I was able to commute to my sweeping post. I quit the job,” she narrated.

Madam Acquah told crimecheckghana.org that she is unable to rent and therefore lives a wooden kiosk.

The poor widow indicated that she traded her business on credit making her unable to save.

“My profit is Ten Ghana cedis(Ghc 10). I save Five Ghana cedis and then save the rest for a week and then send it to my children for their upkeep,” she said.

She said she only fears to be bedridden but wishes to join her husband who died five years ago.