Moffat Mungazi
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
THE 2019 gruesome murder of a Nyamukwarara man took an unexpected turn last Saturday when a famous traditional healer exposed the five suspects behind the heinous crime during a traditional court session, sending shockwaves through the community.
The dramatic court session, attended by Memory Mazikanwa, the grieving mom of the victim, laid bare the desperate attempts of the accused to evade justice.
The late Thomas Maxwell’s avenging spirit, seeking closure, continues to haunt those responsible through his daughter, who suffered from eerie symptoms mirroring those of her father before his tragic demise.
The events unfolded at Chief Mutasa’s community court, where Sekuru Shingirai Mukotsanjera blew their cover, and exposed the suspected killers.
Mazikanwa had dragged the five — Godfrey Dhakameni, Happymore Matsitsiro, Ngoni Vhastiri, Rever Kamusara and Simbanai Zindimo to the court, lamenting her daughter’s deteriorating health.
She claimed the child, through whom Maxwell’s avenging spirit had previously manifested, was now suffering from failing eyesight, toothaches, and chronic leg pains — ailments which mirror symptoms endured by the victim before his death.
“Since you asked us to go back home after I reported the matter in November 2024, my daughter’s health has deteriorated as a result of this unresolved murder. Her body carries the pain Maxwell felt when he died. She cries every night, saying her legs feel like they are being crushed. She suffers all ailments that the old man had due to his old age, and it hurts to see her in such pain,” lamented a tearful Mazikanwa.
Chief Mutasa, determined to resolve the lingering case, summoned Mukotsanjera to conduct a spiritual inquiry just after the court session.
In a tense consultation, Mukotsanjera shocked the courtroom by directly accusing the five men of Maxwell’s murder, and exposed their alleged leader, Dhakameni of having carried a mugaran’anga (juju/charm) in his underwear.
“You killed Maxwell, and you know it. All of you (the five) your hands are dripping with Maxwell’s blood. Confess, and all this will come to an end,” he demanded, further accusing the five of recently travelling to consult a traditional healer in Mozambique to perform some rituals to blur his ‘divination spectacles.’
“It failed because I can clearly see you all right now. Besides, this did not even need a traditional healer to help convict or exonerate you. This child is not even 10-years-old, and never knew of Maxwell’s death, and some of the things she says while in a trance. Why are you trying to make people doubt the authenticity of the manifestation of the avenging spirit?” he asked angrily.
The accused men, led by Dhakameni vehemently denied the allegations, but Mukotsanjera was resolute.
He stripped Dhakameni to his underwear and conducted a meticulous body search – which, to the crowd’s astonishment, led to the retrieval of a mugaran’anga — a small, enchanted charm that was hidden in his shorts.
“This is a powerful charm used to block spiritual visibility. Why do you have it if you are innocent as you claim? You thought you could fool me, but the spirit world never lies. Dhakameni, you are the leader of this ritual killing gang, and you masterminded everything,” said Mukotsanjera.
A visibly shaken Dhakameni, insisted that it was merely dried grass.
“I do not know anything about Maxwell’s death. I swear, and that thing which you claim is a charm is not.
“It is just dry grass that ended up in my short while I was herding my cattle wearing it,” he stammered with his eyes darting nervously,” claimed Dhakameni.
Despite his protests, Mukotsanjera turned to the spirit of Maxwell, and made a public plea.
“I am now demanding that the dead man’s spirit leaves this child alone. She is innocent and does not deserve this. She has played her part, and now I demand that the spirit shifts its wrath to those who killed Maxwell,” he said.
Chief Mutasa vowed to get to the bottom of the matter.
“This court will not rest until justice is served. The police may have failed to prosecute you, but traditional justice will prevail. If you are guilty, the spirit will claim its vengeance, whether through sickness or death.
“The police said they are still investigating the matter, but the traditional side will work on it as they continue with their investigations so that this child goes back to school. She has been missing school since last year because of the avenging spirit and we no longer want that,” he said.
He ordered the five suspects to continue staying at their respective homes in Nyamukwarara pending the finalisation of the matter.
Mukotsanjera promised to conduct further rituals to solidify the truth.
Online Reporter