Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A RUSAPE man has been hauled before Chief Mutasa’s community court after he allegedly violated sacred ancestral spaces by entering his maternal uncles’ homestead without consent and conducting rituals in their absence.
The matter was brought before Chief Mutasa by Hamandishe Chikumbu, who also serves as Village head Chikunguru, last Saturday.
He claimed that his nephew, Oscar Nyakutomba, unlawfully entered their homestead accompanied by a traditional healer and carried out undisclosed rituals at sites considered sacred to the family.
“Our nephew, Nyakutomba, came with a traditional healer into our homestead and did some rituals without telling us or asking for our permission as the custodians of the family.
“Since then, mysterious things have been happening. His mother, who was our sister, died under unclear circumstances, and we suspect that those rituals may have triggered it all,” said Chikumbu, expressing concern that the rituals were conducted at places reserved for ancestral communication, arguing that such actions require the presence and approval of family elders.
“They entered our sacred ancestral places and performed their rituals. We are deeply disturbed because such spaces are not to be tampered with without proper consultation,” he added.
Another family member, Michael Chikumbu, supported the complaint, highlighting that the alleged incident occurred while key family members were away and unaware.
“When Nyakutomba came for the rituals, I was attending a funeral. I am the surviving family father figure, yet I was not informed of all that. I was not even present at home. I only got to know about what had happened after everything had already been done. That alone raises questions about why it had to be done secretly,” he said.
However, Nyakutomba strongly denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the rituals were neither secretive nor malicious, but guided by spiritual instruction linked to his late mother.
“My mother was their sister, and during her marriage, certain ancestral spirits from her family manifested through her. That spirit, which resided within her, was responsible for guiding and assisting the Chikumbu family,” he explained.
Nyakutomba said the rituals in question were conducted under the direction of the same spirit medium (svikiro), particularly as his mother’s health deteriorated.
“When my mother was close to death, the spirit medium instructed us to go to the Chikumbu homestead and perform the rituals. The purpose was to inform the family’s ancestral spirits that she was about to join them in the spiritual realm. There was nothing sinister about it. It was a spiritual obligation,” he said. He maintained that the actions were, not meant to disrespect the family, but to fulfil a cultural and spiritual duty dictated by ancestral guidance.
“I did not act on my own. Everything we did was under the guidance of the svikiro that is associated with the family. It is unfortunate that it is now being misunderstood,” said Nyakutomba.
Chief Mutasa said in many communities, sacred sites within homesteads are regarded as exclusive spaces where only designated family representatives may conduct ceremonies, often with the approval of family elders.
“You need to consult your ancestral spirits so that you can understand how best to handle this matter as a family. These are not issues that can be resolved through assumptions or accusations alone,” he advised, further instructing the family to seek guidance from spiritual intermediaries in Dewedzo, where they could engage recognised spirit mediums to shed light on the situation.
Chief Mutasa also ordered that the traditional healer allegedly involved in the rituals, identified as Makoni, be summoned to appear before the court.
“The traditional healer must come and explain what rituals were performed and for what purpose. That will help this court and the family understand what truly took place,” he said.
The case was subsequently adjourned to May 9 to allow for further consultations and the appearance of the traditional healer.
