Online Reporter
A MAN who accused his mother-in-law of witchcraft and claimed she had supplied his wife with paraphernalia to practice dark arts has been fined by Chief Makoni’s community court.
Edward Machokoto, together with his brother, Timothy, were hauled before the traditional court by his mother-in-law, Venenzia Ndoda, a traditional healer from Rukweza, after she accused them of defaming her by alleging she was a witch.
Ndoda told the court that she and her daughter, Hazvinei, Edward’s wife, had been accused of bewitching a member of the Machokoto family who was losing weight. The relative was later diagnosed with diabetes at a hospital.
“Last month, I spent two weeks on the mountain participating in a rain-making ceremony, where I brewed traditional beer. When I returned home, my daughter Hazvinei came to me in tears late at night. She said the Machokoto family had hired a prophet who claimed I had given her tools for witchcraft, including a winnowing basket and a black cloth, to conduct underworld activities within their family,” Ndola testified.
She further explained that the prophet alleged Hazvinei had handed her a wrapping cloth (Zambia), which she supposedly bewitched.
According to the prophet, a pregnant daughter-in-law in the Machokoto family had used the cloth and subsequently suffered a miscarriage.
The prophet also claimed that Hazvinei was responsible for the ill-health of a young boy in the family who was losing weight.
Ndoda said she reported the matter to the village chairman, who confirmed he had been present when the prophet made the allegations.
The chairman allegedly told her that the prophet boasted he could say anything without con-sequence because he worked as a State security operative.
She added that her daughter’s marriage had been strained, possibly because of her profession as a traditional healer, while the Machokoto family are members of a white-garment church.
Chief Makoni’s court ruled against Edward and Timothy, fining them for falsely accusing Ndoda of witchcraft and tarnishing her reputation. —Manica Post
