Man fined for accusing mother-in-law of witchcraft

Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender 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, was 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,” Ndoda 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 consequence because he worked as a State security operative.
“After learning that I was aware of the accusations, Timothy and the chairman approached me to beg for forgiveness. Timothy admitted that the boy who was losing weight was later diagnosed with diabetes at the hospital,” said Ndoda.
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.
“The Machokotos are always abusing Hazvinei, accusing her of witchcraft. Most of the abuse comes from her husband’s brothers and their wives. No one socialises with her children. At one church service, Hazvinei even lost her skirt,” she told the court.
Chief Makoni’s court ruled against Edward and Timothy, fining them for falsely accusing Ndoda of witchcraft and tarnishing her reputation.
Timothy Machokoto denied ever accusing his mother-in-law, Venenzia Ndoda, and his sister-in-law Hazvinei of practicing witchcraft, insisting that the blame lay squarely with the prophet hired to attend to their sick brother. He told Chief Makoni’s community court that the prophet should have focused on healing instead of making damaging accusations.
“Our young brother, who is unwell, is the one who sought out the prophet. He called all family members to attend, including Hazvinei, though that was not planned by the family. The prophet is the one who made the witchcraft allegations. We never asked him to go into that matter—we only wanted him to help our sick brother,” Timothy said.
Edward Machokoto also distanced himself from the prophet’s claims, noting that he too had been accused of dabbling in dark practices.
“The prophet alleged that I had acquired wealth-enhancing charms from Mozambique during the time I worked there. I challenged him to explain how I supposedly obtained these charms, but he failed to provide any details. He also claimed Hazvinei possessed witchcraft paraphernalia given to her by her mother. I told him I was not happy with what he was saying. Unfortunately, I had an injury on my leg and could not chase them away,” Edward testified.
Hazvinei, Edward’s wife, told the court that she had endured repeated accusations of witchcraft from the Machokoto family, which had left her deeply distressed.
“I do not have peace in this family because they regularly bring prophets who all claim that I am a witch. They are tarnishing my good name and reputation, and now they have even dragged my mother into these allegations. When will this end?” she asked.
After hearing the testimonies, Chief Makoni ruled that the Machokoto brothers were guilty of “indicating a witch” through the prophet they had invited to their homestead. He ordered them to compensate Ndoda with one beast and to cover her lawsuit costs amounting to US$100.
“The Machokotos cannot hide behind a finger. They are the ones who called the prophet to their homestead, which makes them liable for his actions. They should also have brought him as a witness during this hearing. Edward and Timothy are therefore found guilty of indicating a witch. They are fined a beast and must meet Ndoda’s costs of the lawsuit,” ruled the court.