Man gets prison, hard labor for casting spell on neighbor

[Friday The 13th]

An African man has been sent to prison with hard labor for casting a spell to block rain from falling on his neighbor’s field.

Ckumbeni Mwanatheu of Malawi was sentenced to two months in prison after pleading guilty in court to a charge of witchcraft, the Observer reports. It was unclear as to what caused the fight between the 35-year-old man and his neighbor that led to the spell being cast.

Magistrate Lameck Mkwapatira ruled that the suspect “needed to be given a custodial sentence to let the community enjoy peace in his absence and for his own safety.”

The practice of witchcraft is punishable by up to five years in prison and suspects are often killed by mobs.

Note to self: When in Malawi, refrain from saying “Oh, dry up!”