Four sentenced to death in Tanzania for brutally murdering young albino woman in order to use her body parts as good luck charms

Four people have been sentenced to death in Tanzania after brutally murdering a young albino woman in order to harvest her body parts as good luck charms.

Zawadi Mangidu, 22, was killed in north-western town of Geita by a group that included her husband, who is among those due to be executed.

There is no guarantee the death penalties will ever actually be carried out, however, as the east African nation has had a moratorium on executions for the past 21 years.

The conviction comes just days after Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete promised to end a wave of killings of albinos, saying the witchcraft-related murders are shaming Tanzania.

Activists say attackers have killed at least 75 albinos in Tanzania since 2000 to use their body parts in rituals.

'We will not allow things to escalate as they did in previous years,' Kikwete said in a national address on Monday.

'I believe that with close cooperation between the government and society, we will succeed in ending these killings of persons with albinism and rid our nation of this shame.'

There are about 200,000 albinos in Tanzania, most of them easily recognisable as they lack pigment in their skin, eyes and hair. 

Witch doctors often tell clients that albino body parts will bring them luck in love, life and business. 

Similar beliefs exist in other African societies, but activists say attacks on albinos are particularly prevalent in Tanzania, where one in every 1,400 people is affected, compared with one in 20,000 in the Western world.

'It is a false belief that if someone has the body part of a person with albinism, this will bring success in business, fishing and mining activities. This is what has been fuelling this ongoing evil,' Kikwete said.

Tanzanian police on Monday banned a planned demonstration by the Tanzania Albinism Society in the country's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, citing security reasons.

But Kikwete said he had agreed to meet albino leaders next week to discuss possible solutions to the killings.

Kikwete said more than 40 albinos have been killed since 2007 but insisted that his government was taking action to end the murders. 

He did give details on how the government would stop the killings.

The murders have been concentrated in gold-rich regions and fishing communities surrounding the country's Lake Victoria area where superstitious beliefs are rampant.

Activists say most attacks are not reported to the police.

Reports:Daily Mail