Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A DECEASED Mutasa man has made a startling allegation from beyond the grave, accusing his daughter-in-law of poisoning him with sugar nearly three decades ago.
This sensational claim emerged during a recent session at Chief Mutasa’s community court. Peter Masvaure, of Bocha had yanked his in-laws, the Makoni family of Honde Valley to the court, accusing them of falsely implicating his sister, Lucia Masvaure, in the death of her father-in-law, Erick Makoni.
“My sister, Lucia, married into the Makoni family, and stayed with them for a while. However, she later returned home, distressed and emotionally shattered, alleging that her in-laws had accused her of killing their father. Subsequently, Monica Makoni, Lucia’s sister-in-law, began to exhibit spiritual manifestations, claiming that Lucia had murdered their father,” Masvaure told the court.
He continued: “When we travelled to Honde Valley to address the matter, Monica again manifested, claiming that the spirit of their late father had possessed her and was demanding justice. The spirit accused my sister of lacing his illicit brew with poisoned sugar. I requested the spirit to manifest through a member of my own family, for fairness, and the spirit agreed.
“However, to date, we are yet to witness this manifestation within my family.
“The matter was referred to Headman Sanyamandwe. During the proceedings, Monica appeared, allegedly possessed. I challenged the manifestation, requesting it to transfer to my daughter, but it failed to do so.”
Lucia’s sister, Edna Masvaure, also testified during the hearing, arguing that their family had endured prolonged emotional and social distress.
“We have lived under a cloud of shame and harassment. Our sister has been treated like a criminal without evidence. These accusations are haunting all of us,” she said.
The deceased’s claims, channelled through Monica in a trance-like state, followed Peter Masvaure’s presentation to the court.
He maintained that his sister was being falsely accused of murder and that these allegations had tormented their family for years.
However, Erick’s purported spirit insisted that Lucia had poisoned him using sugar.
“I was killed by Lucia, my son’s wife, in 1995. I had asked her for sugar to put in my chikokiyana (illicit brew). She gave me the sugar, and from that moment, my stomach began to ache terribly. I died shortly after. The brew had been purchased by my wife, and I only drank it the next day. It was sour, so I asked for sugar. That is what killed me,” claimed Erick’s purported spirit.
Chief Mutasa took a moment to caution the court about the dangers of consuming chikokiyana, a potent and illegal home-brewed alcoholic beverage.
“Chikokiyana is essentially ethanol. If consumed excessively, it becomes lethal. Some individuals mix it with sugar, fertiliser, or wild plant juices. If you overdose, your intestines can rupture. It is a dangerous and often fatal concoction. But, Erick, are you absolutely certain it was the sugar that killed you, and not the alcohol?” asked Chief Mutasa.
In response, the spirit reiterated its earlier claims.
“I am certain. It was the sugar. It contained strange black and yellow particles. That is what took my life, not the brew,” said Erick’s spirit.
Chief Mutasa warned the spirit to cease tormenting the Makoni family, and instead confront the Masvaures directly if they were indeed responsible for his death.
Lucia’s husband, Robert Makoni, contested the spirit’s claims, arguing that he believed the manifestations were orchestrated by his siblings, rather than his late father.
“My mother sent someone with the brew to my father, and indeed, he requested sugar. However, he consumed the brew on the same day, not the following day, as what the alleged spirit is claiming. I recall asking him to share the brew with me, but he refused. The next day, he fell ill, but he did not disclose the symptoms to anyone. After his passing, my mother asserted that he had told her that the sugar was the cause of his death. Years later, my sister, Monica, began manifesting. Frankly, if this is indeed a spirit, I am convinced it is not my father’s spirit,” argued Robert.
Robert also recounted an incident that had led him to entirely doubt the spiritual claims.
“I recall an incident where I deceived my brother by telling him that I had seen a giant snake crawling on the wall, merely to tease him and verify whether they were indeed spreading falsehoods about my wife. I was astonished when my mother, claiming to be possessed by my father’s spirit, began asserting that he had sent a snake to me that crawled on the wall. That was when I realised these manifestations were being manipulated,” he said.
Chipo Makoni, another family member, corroborated that she had delivered the brew to her father, and maintained that it had not been tampered with.
“My mother gave me the brew to hand to my father. Nothing was added to it. There was no poison,” she said.
With the court deeply divided and key parties absent, Chief Mutasa adjourned the matter to a later date, instructing that the Makoni family’s mother should be summoned to testify.
Her testimony is expected to shed light on the origin of the accusations and determine whether her husband’s spirit genuinely holds Lucia responsible for his death.
