Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A MUTASA woman is allegedly stage-managing spiritual manifestations, and passing out while naked at her brother-in-law’s verandah at night.
The matter was revealed when Andrew Kasambira, yanked his younger brother, Takudzwa Kasambira, and his wife, Margaret Muzumba, to Chief Mutasa’s community court last week, accusing Muzumba of visiting his homestead at ungodly hours in her birth suit, claiming to be possessed by a strange spirit.
He told the court that the bizarre incidents had become a source of humiliation and confusion for his family, as villagers are now gossiping about the macabre real life drama at his homestead.
“All this started after my brother’s child became sick while he was in Grade One years ago, and since then, my brother and his wife have accused me of causing it.
“One day, I was shocked to find his wife on my verandah manifesting, claiming that it was the spirit of my late aunt. She claimed that I had killed someone and cast the deceased’s spirit on my brother’s child. She said I went to Nyanga with traditional healers to silence the deceased man’s spirit, yet we had gone there to get medicine for my then ill brother,” said Andrew.
Andrew said the most disturbing part was that the alleged spiritual possessions were always accompanied by nudity, and only happens at his homestead.
“On different occasions, we have found her naked at night on my verandah. She will be motionless, and when we try to wake her up, she acts as if she is possessed. Sometimes when she ‘manifests,’ she claims it is our late mother speaking through her. I believe she is stage-managing everything, because why does this only happen at my place?” he said.
He said the strange behaviour had sparked endless quarrels within the family, with his younger brother and wife blaming him for their child’s illness.
When asked to respond, Muzumba admitted before the court that she had indeed been manifesting, but insisted that this had stopped.
“I was manifesting for a whole month, but I have stopped. During that time, my child was very ill, and we were told that the problem was linked to my husband’s brother. But up to now, my child is still not well,” she said.
Her husband, Takudzwa, backed her claims, saying there was more to his child’s illness than meets the eye. He accused his brother of wizardry, citing an incident in which Andrew allegedly slaughtered a five-day-old goat and fed children the meat.
“I am the one who accused my brother of causing my child’s sickness because he slaughtered a kid and cooked it. He gave it to our children, but only mine got sick afterwards. In 1999, he was arrested as a suspect in a murder case. Yes, he was exonerated, but our sister told us that charms were used to secure his freedom. Indeed, he killed that man, and now the spirit is haunting us,” said Takudzwa.
Andrew, however, denied the accusations, insisting that he had been cleared of murder charges decades ago, and that the family was now using the old case to vilify him.
“I was arrested on attempted murder charges back then, but the complainant testified that I was not one of the attackers. He later died from the injuries, and I was exonerated. The real killers were arrested and served their jail terms. Now every time something bad happens, my family says it is my fault, that I am being haunted by that dead man’s spirit, which is not true,” he said.
He accused his brother and sister-in-law of faking spiritual attacks to humiliate him publicly.
“If she really manifests, why does it happen only at my homestead, and not at her own home? Why must she come naked to my verandah in the middle of the night? This is not a manifestation, it is deliberate,” said Andrew.
As tempers flared, Chief Mutasa intervened, questioning the credibility of the claims, and pointing out inconsistencies in the family’s story.
“There are too many loopholes in this matter. You are saying your late mother’s spirit is manifesting through your daughter-in-law, which is very unusual. Normally, spirits do not possess in-laws in that way,” said Chief Mutasa.
He expressed concern about the alleged nakedness, saying such behaviour bordered on public indecency and could not be tolerated, whether spiritual or not.
“If indeed she is found naked and unconscious on someone’s verandah, that is a serious transgression. If it is real, you need help. But if it is staged, then you are playing with fire,” he said.
Chief Mutasa urged the family to put aside their differences and seek collective spiritual guidance to determine the true cause of their child’s sickness and the strange incidents.
“You must consult genuine healers together as a family. Accusing each other without proof will destroy you all.
“Find the truth through proper spiritual channels, and bring peace to your home,” he advised, and further warned that without unity, the family risked worsening their misfortunes.
“Consult together, not in small groups. That is the only way to get the same answers and healing. Do not use accusations to fight each other, this is a family matter that needs wisdom and honesty,” he said.
The court later advised both parties to consult a traditional healer and return with a unified report.
