Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A FED-UP father has approached Chief Mutasa’s community court seeking justice after his child missed two months of school due to a mysterious illness that causes sudden collapses.
The troubled man, Bruce Gumbo, said the condition has disrupted learning and caused distress for the family and school, as the unexplained episodes occur without warning.
“My child just falls mysteriously, even at school. Teachers said the episodes were disturbing other children and asked that the child stays home, and I do not know what to do at this point because it seems those causing the problems are ignoring me,” he said.
Gumbo said he is worried, with no clear medical explanation for the condition.
“My father and his siblings are refusing to consult traditional healers with my child. I have taken the child to hospital, but the doctors said the child’s health is not compromised,” he said, adding that he believes the illness is linked to his late grandmother, whom he claims died bitter after being mistreated.
A traditional healer, Sekuru Mukotsanjera, allegedly revealed the issue was linked to unresolved family grievances.
“He told my father and his siblings that they had sinned against their mother while she was still alive and that they should appease her by compensating her surviving brothers,” said Gumbo, adding that the family agreed to perform the ritual in October, but failed to honour it.
“It is painful. My child will not stop collapsing. Now our late grandmother’s family is refusing to accept the appeasement. I am burdened and overwhelmed,” he said.
However, his uncle, Hillary Kufahakuteerwi, dismissed the claims of refusal.
“They are supposed to come and we do all the rituals together, but the truth is I have been going through a difficult time myself. I was sick, then my child died, and I had to bury him, and now we are waiting to conduct the memorial service. I have asked Bruce to come later on, but he will not listen to me, instead he becomes violent. I honestly have not had time to rest or entertain them,” he told the court.
Kufahakuteerwi said the family’s delay was due to personal hardships, not defiance, which compromised their ability to entertain them.
He accused Gumbo of being aggressive and insensitive to his situation, alleging that he has been forcing the matter on his grieving family.
“He comes late at night and becomes violent, demanding that we accept the appeasement. All I want is time to grieve my own child,” he said.
Serbia Gumbo, Bruce’s aunt, told the court his father had previously accused their mother of bewitching a child, who at the time exhibited unusual behaviour, but later recovered, and is now in South Africa.
“This matter once came before the previous chief’s court. In 2013, my brother, Bruce’s father, called our mother a witch, saying she was bewitching his daughter. That child later got better and is now married and living in South Africa. That is why our late mother is bitter in her grave and now avenging on her grandchildren,” she said.
Serbia linked the current situation to unresolved family tensions and past accusations.
Tensions escalated in the courtroom when proceedings took a dramatic turn, as Bruce began speaking in tongues, addressing the court while allegedly under a trance.
He allegedly introduced himself as Mucharingegumbo, and claimed to be linked to his late grandmother.
He insisted that the family must carry out the appeasement ritual, warning that the spirit of the deceased is wondering everywhere.
“The late woman is bitter beyond her grave and her spirit will not rest until the appeasement is done,” he said.
Presiding over the case, Chief Mutasa called for calm, and urged both families to approach the matter with respect and patience.
He instructed Bruce to wait for at least 40 days before proceeding with the appeasement process, citing the need for the bereaved Kufahakuteerwi family to complete mourning rituals.
“You should wait because their homestead is not yet ready due to the recent death. It will only be appropriate after the memorial service,” he said.
Chief Mutasa stressed the importance of discipline and respect, warning against confrontational behaviour, and urging Bruce to avoid escalating tensions with his late grandmother’s family.
However, Bruce expressed frustration with the delay, saying his child’s condition could not wait.
He pleaded with the court for urgent intervention, and in a desperate appeal, suggested that the alleged affliction be redirected away from his child as the families worked towards a resolution.
Despite his plea, the court maintained that cultural processes must be respected and that the matter could not be rushed.
Chief Mutasa subsequently adjourned the case to a later date to allow both families time to prepare for the appeasement process.
