Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A CHIMANIMANI woman has taken her grievances to Chief Saurombe’s community court, accusing her half-brother of bewitching her in a bid to compel her husband to settle an outstanding bride price.
Appearing before the traditional court, Chipo Chandakabarirwa of Tiya Village revealed that although she and her partner, Jeremiah Murambwi, share four children, he has never paid a single cent to her family. This, she claimed, provoked her half-brother, Elisha Mutoriyondo, into allegedly using wizardry against her.
Chandakabarirwa recounted what she described as a harrowing ordeal that began in 2017 and continues to undermine her health and daily life. She alleged that Mutoriyondo — who has since assumed a fatherly role in her life — was furious upon learning she was expecting her fourth child with Murambwi while the bride price remained unpaid.
“I am very ill, yet my husband has not done anything to help me. I have four children with my husband, and he has not paid any bride price for me. My brother, Mutoriyondo visited me and realised that I was pregnant again. He was speechless. I wondered why, but the answer would be known later on,” Chandakabarirwa told the court.
She described a particularly frightening encounter during one of her half-brother’s visits.
“He came holding an okapi knife which he closed as if he was performing some rituals. My kids were present when he was performing the rituals. He left, and my health deteriorated after that. He is the one set to benefit when my bride price is paid, so I suspect that he got angry that I had given birth to a fourth child without their father paying anything to my family. I feel something moving in my stomach, and my left leg also hurts. It feels as though it has been cut and I will not be able to walk,” she said.
The woman claimed that she had repeatedly sought help from Murambwi, but he refused to assist me.
“I have asked my husband to help me and consult healers, but instead, he insults me, saying that I am lazy and faking it. He just gives me money for consultations. At one time, I went to a healer in Mozambique, and was told he could only assist me in the presence of my husband,” she said.
She traced the onset of her ill-health to 2017, stating that the problem has persisted for years without resolution.
Her grievances, however, are not limited to the alleged bewitching by her half-brother. She also voiced frustration over the abuse she suffers at her husband’s hands, suggesting that Murambwi could have contributed to her ailment.
“My first child is from a different marriage, so when I tell Murambwi that I no longer love him, he tells me that I must pay him thousands of US dollars for all the years he has taken care of my first child. We have four children together, but our love life is as good as dead. He does not love me; all he wants is the income I bring in because I am a hustler.
“I feel powerless. I have tried everything. I have consulted traditional healers, and I have asked my husband to do what is right, but nothing changes. I have four children, and I just want peace and security for them. I just want my suffering to end, and for my children to have a life free from conflict. I am pleading with the court to ensure that justice is served, and that both men are held accountable for their responsibilities,” she admitted.
Chief Saurombe stressed that both Mutoriyondo and Murambwi should be summoned to answer to the allegations.
“Both individuals have cases to answer before this court. It is not sufficient for grievances to be aired by one party alone. The accused must be given an opportunity to respond so that the matter can be resolved in line with the customary law and fairness,” he said.
