Delft mother fights to get daughter out of mental hospital

PROUD: The mother of a 21-year-old Delft woman points to her daughter's school achievement certificates as she fights to have her discharged from Stikland Psychiatric Hospital.

A Delft mother believes her 21-year-old daughter was allegedly bewitched by jealous colleagues at a popular retail store and is now fighting to have her discharged from Stikland Psychiatric Hospital.

The mother, who asked not to be named, told IOL Media her daughter had no history of mental health problems before her sudden change in behaviour earlier this month.

She believes the incident may be linked to a meeting her daughter had with her manager about alleged irregular activities at work.

The concerned mother said: “She had a two-hour-long meeting with her manager about irregular activities she started noticing at her work.”

The 21-year-old allegedly told her mother she had seen colleagues slipping items past the till without paying.

“She has always been an honest person; that is how she was raised. So she did the honest thing and told her manager what she saw. We still don’t know exactly what was discussed in that meeting.”

The mother said her daughter’s boyfriend also overheard a colleague making a threatening remark when he fetched her from work on Friday, October 9, 2026.

“She overheard how one of her colleagues whispered, ‘You will fight for life this weekend, you will see’.”

The mother also claimed her daughter had complained about colleagues touching her hair. 

“We can’t prove it, but we know that she was given something or they took a piece of hair to use as witchcraft. They were either jealous of her or wanted her out because she planned on exposing them.”

The mother said her daughter’s behaviour changed dramatically and may be possessed by “something demonic”.

“That Friday she talked non-stop about her job situation and their future together. She sang, she made noises, hit on the cupboard.

“The tipping point for me was when her boyfriend and their three-year-old daughter were sleeping on the couch. When I walked in, my daughter was just standing there staring at them. When she saw me, she ran to the room and hid under the blanket.

“That was when I realised we are dealing with something demonic.”

The family sought help from preachers, with the mother claiming they heard the demon screaming during prayer sessions.

Her daughter was admitted to Eerste River Hospital on October 12, before being transferred to Stikland Hospital on October 20 for specialised psychiatric care.

The mother said her daughter had since improved and was no longer experiencing episodes.

“She tells me that there is nothing wrong with her and that she wants to go home. I have been fighting with both Eerste River and Stikland Hospital. They refuse to discharge her or tell us what treatment she is receiving.

“My daughter is not crazy. She is bewitched, nie mal nie. (not crazy) She was a top achiever at school and she is still studying at UWC. We want her discharged because there is a preacher that will have to perform an exorcism.”

Western Cape Health and Wellness spokesperson Megan Davids confirmed the admission, saying the patient was admitted following an application for involuntary admission under the Mental Health Care Act.

The department said decisions regarding continued admission and discharge were based on ongoing clinical assessments.

It added that patients have the right to appeal involuntary admission, with oversight provided by the Mental Health Review Board.