adminXIMEX Mall, the capital’s hub of shady deals, has been at the heart of many social media platforms for the past two or so weeks.
This follows speculation that dealers rolling in sleek wheels at the area have gone to extremes by selling their toes, in return for instant riches, a claim they vehemently denied.
Last weekend, the debate was heightened on social media with some people volunteering to undertake the sacrifice, which has since divided opinion.
However, the majority of dealers have dismissed it as cheap bar talk while others admitted there was a ready market for the bizarre trade.
One of the cheeky dealers went further and claimed he was an agent of the so-called ‘‘toe traders.’’
This prompted some to travel from other parts of the country to make enquiries in their quest for instant riches which, in a bizarre way, is said to come with its conditions.
As H-Metro, our hotlines have been inundated with calls as readers wanted us to dig deeper and unravel the truth.
This is the task we have at the moment, as we want to get to the heart of this matter.
We know we have a responsibility to come out with the truth and it’s something we embrace wholeheartedly.
For the better part of the week, our teams have been all out interviewing dealers, chiefs, traditional healers and church pastors to give their opinions.
Some of these respected figures claimed these practices have been there since time immemorial while others urged people to keep themselves far away from such rituals.
By going full throttle, H-Metro want to protect the gullible, who easily get initiated into cults where they don’t understand the consequences.
Not only are we trying to protect the public from joining such cults, but it is our duty as the media to enlighten readers on what’s happening on the ground.
In this case, the ‘‘toe trade’’ craze has also exposed the extent to which laziness has become part of some people’s lives.
All they want are no short-cuts.
And, those yearning for easy money, will only find misery in the future.
By allowing young and energetic people to join such cults, we will be creating a generation of lazy people, with nothing to offer.
It’s high time people learn to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their sweat rather than cutting corners.
The advice, from traditional leaders, is that such cults have serious consequences, in future, and loss of life is one of them.
Failure to contain such acts will, if they are being practiced, breed misery.
Despite the challenges we face as a nation, there are some young people who are doing well by investing in businesses like farming, where there are no short-cuts.
There is no short cut to success but hard work is the only way to go.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter