Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender Reporter
A MAKONI family has been torn apart by their mother’s strange illness, characterised by bleeding despite having reached menopause, amid allegations that a family member acquired spiritual cloths that are now affecting her.
Recently, Taurai Machiwenyika dragged his siblings, Rushmore and Lenah, before Chief Makoni’s community court for a dialogue over the bizarre occurrences, which medical doctors have been unable to cure.
Taurai told the court that the family had consulted numerous prophets and traditional healers, but to no avail.
“A misunderstanding has arisen in our family. Whenever we suggest finding solutions for the challenges we are facing, two of our siblings, Rushmore and Lenah, do not cooperate. Our mother, who is now of advanced age, has started experiencing monthly menstrual cycles again.
“We have approached prophets and traditional healers who fingered some of our siblings as the culprits behind our mother’s bizarre ailment. Recently, we held a ceremony (bira) at the homestead and went to Mozambique, but Rushmore and Lenah pulled out of the process before it was concluded,” said Taurai.
Lenah disputed refusing to cooperate with others, and revealed that it is actually her siblings who are sidelining her on family matters, including consulting traditional healers in Mozambique without her knowledge.
“I have never refused to cooperate with other family members. I attended when a prophet who is a relative was invited, and we ended up disagreeing with his findings.
“What surprised me is that when I returned home, my siblings went to Mozambique without informing me. They came back saying among us, someone was possessed with a spirit and traditional beer must be brewed to address the issue.
“We stay in the same house in Beitbridge with Taurai, but he went to Mozambique without informing me and our sister who is based in Dubai. I only knew about it on the family WhatsApp platform.
“I suggested that we should consult traditional healers and prophets together as a family, but they shot me down, saying I was not well informed about the proceedings. I have never refused to render assistance to our mother.
“I talk to her daily. Her illness is weird, but we cannot take her to traditional healers without her relatives’ blessings. I have provided money for her treatment,” she said.
Another sibling, Febbie, requested the court to assist them through its resident traditional healers to get to the bottom of the matter.
“We have been having this challenge since 2022. I stay in South Africa and every year I return to Zimbabwe to resolve this matter, as does our Dubai-based sister. However, Lenah is adamant that she will not participate. We request that you avail your traditional healers to help us,” she said.
Rushmore revealed that Febbie possesses some black cloths, ‘machira emudzimu’.
“My sister Febbie possesses black cloths. We questioned her about their origins, and she claimed that she experienced a severe headache and was told by prophets that ‘mudzimu wemumusha’,” he said.
Mbuya Machiwenyika told the court that prophets and traditional healers informed her that her problems were emanating from her daughters, but there was no cooperation from them in finding a solution.
“When I started experiencing my challenges, I informed my children, including my sons-in-law. Prophets and traditional healers told me that the problem was emanating from my daughters. It was also revealed that my problem will be solved in the presence of all my children, but someone is refusing to cooperate,” she said.
The court referred the family to its resident healer, and the court’s messenger who accompanied the family reported what transpired during the consultations.
He said it was revealed that Febbie had some cloths, and that the spirit upon her was not from their family, and that the cloths were causing the problems in the family.
“The healer detected that there was no unity in the family. He also revealed that there were cloths that were accepted in the family as ‘mudzimu’, but it was actually an avenging spirit. The cloths were causing all the problems.
“Febie was asked about the origins of the cloths, and she said she had bought them after having a dream. She added that her brothers had also helped her to acquire the cloths.
“The healer informed the family that they had accepted a foreign spirit. The spirit revealed that it was from Kairezi area of Nyanga and of the Shumba totem.
“The traditional healer also said the family should look for its correct clan. It also claimed that there was an avenging spirit troubling the family, and instructed them to conduct a cleansing ceremony for their mother to regain her wellness,” said the messenger.
