adminTendai Chara
It was an unusually cold morning for the normally hot month of September. Dozens of people, mostly women, ignored the cold spell as they patiently waited their turn to enter a well-furnished cottage in Harare’s middle-density suburb of Waterfalls. An athletic young man, who walked with a slight limp, was among the group that was at the front of the queue.
A woman with a swollen arm and an old man with a severe skin rash were also in attendance.
Sitting pensively on an old, creaking bench, a man who appeared to be as fit as a fiddle, leisurely puffed cigarette smoke.
The man is clearly not discouraged by both the chilling weather and the long, winding queue.
Dr Baba Tunde, who speaks with an East African accent, is one of the many foreign traditional “doctors” who are, on a daily basis, advertising in the local press, claiming that they have the supernatural powers to solve humankind’s known problems.
Among some of the ridiculous claims made by the so-called traditional healers are claims that they can solve people’s financial problems “within 24 hours”.
They also claim that they and are capable of breaking cycles of bad luck and can also “bringing back lost lovers”.
According to the adverts, the traditionalists further claim that they are capable of curing any illness and can also solve all known social problems.
In an effort to get first-hand information on the dealings of the self- proclaimed traditional healers, The Sunday Mail Extra went underground and posed as one of Dr Baba Tunde’s many clients.
Since Dr Baba Tunde advertises his services in the local press on a daily basis, locating him proved to be a very easy task.
After dialling one of the contact numbers that was on the advert, a male with a husky voice picked up the phone and introduced himself as “Dr Baba Tunde”.
He politely asked if he could be of help. After telling him my fictitious problem: that my second wife had run away with her lover — the traditional healer enthusiastically directed this reporter to a house in Parktown, Waterfalls.
Boasting that he was a “love and relationship specialist”, the traditional healer, without hesitating, was quick to point out that I was supposed to bring a consultation fee of $50.
Arriving at the self-proclaimed doctor’s surgery early in the morning, a long, winding queue had already snaked its way around the homestead’s security fence.
After close to an hour of patiently awaiting my turn, I was finally ushered into Dr Baba Tunde’s “surgery” by a slim and beautiful girl who could easily pass for an international model.
Just like his assistant, Dr Baba Tunde is also blessed with good looks.
A tall, handsome man in his late 30s, the fair-skinned traditional healer commanded me to remove my shoes and to put the $50 consultation fee in a wooden plate that he had placed in a corner.
Sitting cross-legged on a clean, imported Persian rug, the traditional healer looks clean and well-shaven.
A basketful of herbs, bones and other remedies are neatly tucked in a corner.
Without wasting time, he enquired about my problem. Once again, I repeated my fictitious problem and begged Dr Baba Tunde to help me bring my wife back.
Speaking in what sounded like a foreign language, Baba Tunde, who appeared to be in a trance, rumbled and mumbled for close to three minutes before calming down.
“Your wish has been granted by the spirits. I am the love doctor, this is a small problem. By the end of the week, your lover will be back in your arms — for ever,” bellowed Dr Baba Tunde.
For that to happen, Dr Baba Tunde insisted, I was supposed to bring my wife’s picture and to also buy from him “100 percent love oil”, which he was selling for “only $100 dollars.”
After indicating that I neither had the picture nor the money on me, Dr Baba Tunde pressed on, employing the persuasive language of an experienced salesperson.
“That is not a problem. You can give me whatever amount you have now and then pay the reminder later. Your wife will come running to you in three days, if she doesn’t, I will not hesitate to give you a refund. Give me whatever you have, even $10,” Dr Baba Tunde insisted.
I insisted that I did not have any money on me and the visibly agitated traditional healer signalled his assistant to lead me out of the room.
As I was being led out of the room, I wondered how many people are being duped of their money, not only by “Dr Baba Tunde”, but a host of other fake traditional healers.
There has been an increase in the number of fake traditional healers who are ripping unsuspecting clients of their hard-earned money.
A crackdown on the bogus healers by state security in Harare’s Avenues area resulted in the fake healers briefly going underground. When they later resurfaced, the bogus healers, most of whom are from Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya, shifted their bases to areas outside the Central Business District (CBD).
In the past, witchdoctors were mostly confined to the rural areas. The trend has changed over the years, with the traditional healers providing their services from the most unusual of places.
Investigations made by this paper revealed that most of the fake traditional healers are now operating from Mufakose, Rugare and Kuwadzana among other high-density areas.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter