Moffat Mungazi
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A CHIMANIMANI woman who publicly branded her sister-in-law a witch was recently fined four beasts and six goats to redeem the latter’s reputation and restore peace in the family.
This comes after Maria Manjongoma, who for years was accusing her brother’s wife, Tryphine Mucharira, of witchcraft, was reprimanded by Chief Saurombe for lying before the court and creating unnecessary tension in the family.
The penalty was imposed following revelations that traditional healers approached by the family, as ordered by the court, had cleared Mucharira of all witchcraft allegations.
Mucharira’s father, Joel Mucharira thereafter demanded that his in-laws be compelled to pay, and restore his daughter’s dignity, insisting she suffered severe public humiliation.
“My daughter’s name was dragged in the mud. She was insulted and rejected by people all over the place. This story even made headlines in newspapers and on YouTube. This is a big offence. We need to clear her name with six goats and two beasts, and we are not backing down,” he said.
The matter, which was initially brought before Chief Saurombe’s community court in February, stemmed from a long-standing family feud that took a dark turn when Manjongoma began spreading alarming and disparaging accusations about her brother’s wife.
She claimed that Mucharira “feasts on people’s private parts” and accused her of using soil collected from her footprints to bewitch her.
During the earlier court appearance, Mucharira explained how the accusations had gone on for 14 years — when she got married into the family.
She said she had tolerated the verbal abuse and name-calling for years, but matters escalated when Manjongoma took her shoes without permission and refused to return them.
“She came to my homestead crying, saying someone was trying to kill her and she wanted us to prepare a grave for her. I tried to greet her, but she refused and left with her brother. Later, she took my crocs (slides), and said she was confiscating them because she believed I was bewitching her. She told people that I ‘eat flesh from the private parts,’” Mucharira said.
She added that she was publicly insulted while walking in the village.
She said Manjongoma once sang loudly, saying Mucharira’s powers would soon end.
The insults affected her freedom of movement, as she became the subject of gossip and ridicule.
She alleged that after Mucharira gave her son some goat meat, he became mysteriously ill and his teeth never developed properly.
She also accused her sister-in-law of trying to harm her by collecting soil from where she would have walked and using a large needle to poke it.
“She tried to grab my brother’s private parts. People had to push her away. After that, I began suffering from sharp pains in my legs as if I was being pricked by needles,” she said.
She went on to claim that her brother, Mucharira’s husband, had admitted to her that he too had experienced strange and painful encounters in the bedroom, and suspected that his wife had supernatural powers.
Despite all these claims, Chief Saurombe ruled that Mucharira was the victim, especially since she was the one who brought the matter before the court.
“These are just allegations. Why didn’t you report this when you took her shoes? She is the one who came to this court because she was no longer coping with your insults. You refused to withdraw the case even when I gave you a chance. Instead, you came here with all sorts of wild stories — stories that sound like they were taken from African movies,” he said.
At the time, Chief Saurombe had ordered Manjongoma to return the confiscated shoes.
However, Mucharira refused to take them back, saying she believed they had been used for rituals.
The court instead ordered Manjongoma to pay US$5 for the new shoes and burnt the old ones as a sign of closure.
However, with the feud escalating outside court and Mucharira’s reputation suffering further damage on social media coverage and the public rumour-mill, the family was summoned again, and ordered to consult traditional healers to ascertain whether Mucharira was a witch or not.
The consulted traditional healers cleared her of any wrongdoing.
After careful consideration, Chief Saurombe imposed a stiffer penalty — six goats and four beasts — against Manjongoma.
He said this would serve as an appeasement for the damage caused to Mucharira’s image and a lesson to the community on the dangers of false accusations.
“The name of this woman has been dragged across villages, and now the whole country. She has been hurt, rejected, harassed and embarrassed. Let this be a lesson. People must not abuse traditions and make false witchcraft claims just because they have family issues.
“We are not here to settle petty jealousies or hatred disguised as spiritual attacks. I once cautioned Manjongoma and told her that she was watching too much African movies. She thought she could act it out in this court,” said Chief Saurombe.
He adjourned the matter to this Sunday.
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