Dar Es Salaam — OVER 250 members of Roman Catholic of Ipuli Parish in Tabora Archdiocese central Tanzania have ceased to attend church services fearing witchcraft.

The cease to attend such holy services by churchgoers came after two catechists died in circumstances linked to witchcraft. Head of lay members of the Paris one Stela Marcel said when reading a report to her Parish Priest Leon Nzige that the deaths of two members had scared away church goers who suspect that followers dies due to witchcraft.

Explaining, she said one catechist Joseph Bundala died on August 15 last year in mysterious circumstances, the situation, which she said, had created more questions. She said the death of another catechist, one Peter Valentino on November 15 also last year, contributed to scaring away of church members.

She could not explain exactly the circumstances that killed the two catechists, but she said over 250 churchgoers were not attending holy services fearing witchcraft. She said the number of church members have declined from over 250 to only six in the period of six months. She said even the remained six members were conducting church services at her residence.

"The two incidents saddened the church members to the extend of fearing to attend church services," she explained. Explaining further she said that the church leader was invaded by unknown people who threatened to kill him if he would not leave the village. The church leader, she said, had since left the village. Following such a report, the visiting Priest urged the members to abandon witchcraft ideology and announcing to launch a special campaign to educate members on the issue.

Scaring away on witchcraft believes by church goers comes when reports indicate that several people, especially old women are being died in the country linking their deaths to witchcraft. The incidents are so rampant in central Tanzania including Tabora and Shinyanga regions. Researchers estimate that up to 90 per cent of elders were being killed because they are suspected of being witches. The researchers say the practice of murdering old people suspected of witchcraft is actually growing, and expanding into other regions such as north and southern part of Tanzania.

Experts urge local governments to enact by-laws to control traditional herbalists and witchdoctors who are the main instigators of the killings of old people. They propose to discourage teaching primary school children that belief in witchcraft existed. According to researchers most of the children in the central Tanzania are taught to believe in witchcraft when they are still young.

The incident has promoted local organizations to invite retired President Ali Hassan Mwinyi to inaugurate campaigns against the brutal killings of suspected witches in northern Tanzania.

Aimed at eradicating belief in witchcraft, and at creating more enlightened attitudes towards the causes of illness, death, and disasters, the campaigns would be launched next moth. Under the program, they would sensitize people through public education in the affected areas about the dangers of belief in witchcraft.