Prophet fined for grave soil ritual

Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A SELF-STYLED white garment prophet and a family uncle were fined a beast by Chief Mutasa’s community court after being accused of violating a grave during a controversial ritual meant to uncover the truth behind a man’s mysterious death.
The ruling followed the appearance of the prophet — Gurure, before the court last Saturday, where he was asked to explain his role in the instructions that allegedly led to soil being collected from the grave of the late Gatakata family patriarch.
Last week, the Gatakata family had approached Chief Mutasa’s community court, claiming their father’s grave was tampered with after soil was taken, mixed with salt, and fried as part of a ritual intended to treat their uncle, Musaita Gatakata, who complained of a painful leg.
The prophet’s testimony brought new revelations, conflicting accounts, and emotional confrontations among family members who have long suspected foul play surrounding the death.
Naume Gatakata, one of the deceased’s daughters, told the court that the ritual began after her uncle reported severe leg pains.

“When my uncle, Musaita, had pains in his leg, he instructed us to consult Gurure, who then told family members to collect soil from my father’s grave,” she said. Naume explained that the family reluctantly followed the instructions, believing they were helping Musaita recover.
“The soil was fried with salt. Gurure wanted to give it to my mother, but she refused. Eventually, the soil was thrown back into the grave,” she added.
Prophet Gurure, however, strongly denied ever instructing the family to collect soil from the grave.
He told the court that Musaita had approached him alone seeking spiritual assistance.
“He came to me saying he had a painful leg. I told him it was not his leg that was the problem. I asked him to bring family members so that the truth behind the dispute could be revealed,” said Gurure.
According to him, the ritual was misunderstood.
“I told him to collect soil from his homestead, from the path the deceased had used on the day he died. That soil was supposed to be taken back to his home so that the truth about who killed the deceased could come out. The truth is, he never had a painful leg in the first place. He should tell the truth,” insisted Gurure.
The prophet remained steadfast in his testimony that he never instructed anyone to collect soil from the grave.
“I never told them to collect soil from the grave. I told them to collect soil from the path he used, not the cemetery. I said after the soil rituals, they were supposed to get answers on who killed their father. I instructed them to fry the soil, but it was not fried at my home,” maintained Gurure.
Despite his explanation, several family members disputed the prophet’s version, insisting that he personally handled soil taken from the grave and performed the ritual.

Musaita Gatakata, the uncle whose alleged illness triggered the chain of events, admitted before the court that he had lied about suffering from a painful leg.
He confessed that the claim was a ruse to lure relatives into consulting spiritual healers after they accused him of being involved in his brother’s death.
“The whole family accused me of killing my brother because they say I am Macheka’s friend. Macheka is the man alleged to have poisoned him. That is why I lied that my leg was painful — to trick my family into accompanying me to consult healers about the accusations,” Musaita said.
Chief Mutasa sharply questioned Prophet Gurure over the instructions he had given the family, warning that graveyards are sacred spaces in Shona culture, and must never be tampered with without the authority of traditional leaders.
“According to our culture, when someone tampers with soil from a grave, it can mean they are trying to silence the spirit of the deceased so that it will not seek vengeance,” Chief Mutasa said.
He also challenged Gurure on why the deceased’s widow had allegedly been pressured to collect the soil.
“Why were you forcing the deceased’s wife to collect the grave soil? What was the intention? Why did you want the soil sprinkled at his homestead? Did you want his spirit to hover outside his homestead, or torment his immediate family?” he asked.
In his ruling, Chief Mutasa declared both Musaita and Gurure guilty of defiling sacred ground by taking soil from the cemetery and returning it after performing rituals.
He fined the pair a beast for violating traditional customs and disrespecting the cemetery.
“You only visit the cemetery with authority from a traditional leader. What you did was very wrong. Your intention was never noble, but evil,” Chief Mutasa said.
He ordered that the beast be paid before the end of the month, and advised the Gatakata family to consult recognised traditional healers if they want to uncover the true cause of the patriarch’s death, which continues to divide relatives years after his burial.