Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A CHIMANIMANI woman has come out guns blazing, accusing her son’s in-laws of conniving with a prophet to falsely accuse her of causing the death of a neighbour through witchcraft.
Dorika Bhegedhe, from Gudyanga Village under Chief Muusha, recently appeared before the community court to defend herself against claims that she bewitched Ruka Ndarahwa.
She alleged that the controversy stemmed from her daughter-in-law’s illness, which prompted her family to consult a white-garment prophet.
Bhegedhe claimed that the prophet’s involvement led to a shocking and enraging turn of events.
“The so-called prophet claimed that the spirit of a man called Ruka Ndarahwa had manifested in my daughter-in-law and accused me of killing him by instructing his wife to poison him. These are lies. That is not an avenging spirit, it is a cooked-up story meant to tarnish my name and break my family,” said Bhegedhe, insisting that the claims were fabricated and there was no truth to the allegations of murder or spiritual vengeance.
“I have never harmed anyone, let alone Ruka Ndarahwa who I do not even remember. The alleged spirit is claiming that I shared some poison with his wife which was used to kill him. I challenged the ngozi to stop tormenting my daughter-in-law and haunt me, but up to now, it has not done anything. I suspect that this is a fake spirit and a ploy by these people to turn my son against me. My husband has refused to be part of this matter. He has since surrendered me to my brother,” she said.
Bhegedhe pointed fingers squarely at her daughter-in-law’s family, the Gadzayis, particularly, her father, Texon, claiming they had teamed up with the prophet to falsely implicate her.
“I believe that Texon Gadzayi and his family planned this together. They brought the prophet themselves and why did the spirit manifest on the prophet and not anyone from my family. It was a staged act. They have never liked me and now they are using this so-called spiritual revelation to finish me off,” she said.
Texon vehemently denied the accusations against him, telling the court that Bhegedhe’s husband, Mashava Muyambo, had hired the prophet, not his family.
“My hands are clean. The prophet who performed the rituals and spoke of an avenging spirit was brought in by her husband, not me or my relatives. She should be taking action against her husband, not me. My only concern is that my daughter is being tormented by this avenging spirit,” he said.
Texon expressed shock at the prophet’s declarations, maintaining that he had no involvement in the events that unfolded.
“The truth is, we were all caught off guard when the prophet mentioned Ndarahwa and poison. However, since it came from a spiritual session, we could not dismiss it outright. I never instructed anyone to accuse Bhegedhe of anything,” added Texon.
Chief Muusha, visibly displeased by the conflicting accounts, intervened.
“This is a serious matter. We cannot proceed without hearing from Muyambo himself, as both parties claim he is central to this controversy. Moreover, as Bhegedhe’s husband, he should be present in court,” said the Chief.
Bhegedhe informed the court that Muyambo had disassociated himself from the matter and refused to attend.
Chief Muusha ordered that Muyambo be summoned to appear before the court, both as a witness and to address allegations that he hired the prophet.
“Until we hear from Muyambo, this court cannot ascertain the truth. He must appear and explain why the prophet was summoned, under whose instruction and what was discussed in everyone”s presence,” said Chief Muusha.
The matter was adjourned until tomorrow (Saturday), when Muyambo is expected to testify before the court.
