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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
THE family of the late serial rapist, Limukani Sibanda, is embroiled in a wrangle with a traditional healer who is demanding four beasts for helping them find their son.
Sibanda’s family allegedly approached a Plumtree traditional healer, Andrew Nyasha, seeking assistance in locating their son who had been missing for more than three weeks.
They consulted Nyasha to help them locate their son and allegedly made a commitment to pay four cows. A few days later they received news that their missing son had been found hanging from a tree.
The family is allegedly now dodging payment as they claim that the traditional healer’s herbs did not assist in any way because they found their son dead.
A Chronicle news crew caught up with Nyasha who was at the Plumtree Police Station to report his grievance yesterday. He dragged the family of the late serial rapist to the police station demanding to be given his beasts valued at $1,600.
He said he was engaged by the family on Monday last week and they asked him to cleanse their homestead in Madlambuzi area.
Nyasha said they agreed to give him money for the four beasts after he performed the job.
“The Sibanda family told me that they wanted me to help them locate their missing son. The deceased’s grandmother is the one who approached me together with his father who works in Botswana. They were accompanied by several relatives.
“They also told me that their rural home in Madlambuzi area was cursed by evil spirits and they wanted me to cleanse it,” said Nyasha.
He said he cleansed the homestead and removed some evil objects which were hidden in the house in the full view of the family members.
Nyasha said he also gave them some herbs to help them find their son.
He said the family found their son who was dead and promised to give him his payment after the burial.
The traditional healer said he had agreed to the arrangement because he wanted to give them time to mourn their son.
Nyasha said after the burial he approached the family who turned around to say that his fee was very high.
“The family is now refusing to pay me for my services. They are telling me that the charges are too high but they had initially agreed to pay me in full. They wanted to give me four beasts but I told them that I do not accept beasts and I advised them to sell the beasts and give me the money.
“They had initially said that they had found a buyer for the beasts and now they are going against their word,” said Nyasha.
The traditional healer said he won’t rest until he gets his payment. He said the family had told the police that they needed three days to sit as a family and discuss how they are going to pay him.
Nyasha said he expected to be given money equivalent to the four beasts by Monday.
A member of the Sibanda family who preferred anonymity said they doubted whether consulting the traditional healer had helped them.
He said they were disgruntled because they found their son already dead.
“The family doubts the contributions of the traditional healer. We think we could have discovered our son’s body even without consulting the traditional healer. We expected to find Limukani still alive,” he said.
The late serial rapist was buried at the weekend at a cemetery in Plumtree. He is suspected to have committed suicide after his decomposed body was recently found hanging from a tree near his rural home.
He is suspected to have died about three weeks before his body was discovered.
Limukani raped a Grade 7 pupil who was on her way to write her examinations, his friend’s 42-year-old mother who is still admitted at the United Bulawayo Hospitals and his ex-girlfriend. He collected a rope from a neighbour’s homestead and went into hiding.
Prior to that, Limukani had poisoned about 40 villagers from his rural home area, torched his girlfriend’s homestead and stole money from his relatives in Plumtree before fleeing to Madlambuzi.
Online Reporter