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Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
ACTING Chief Zimunya has ordered a Mutare man, Denford Musiyarira to join his aggrieved daughters and consult spiritual healers over wizardry allegations being levelled against him.
Denford and his brother, Garikayi were vehemently refusing to join other family members to consult spiritual healers claiming that they are devout Christians who do not mix religions.
The Musiyarira family was ordered by Acting Chief Zimunya to consult three different spiritual healers by July 31 and bring feedback to the community court.
This was after a long struggle with Denford denying the wizardry allegations being levelled against him and threatening his family members and the media at the court.
“I have my rights too and should not be subjected to this process. I amassed all my wealth through hard work and sweat, not wizardry,” he said.
“These girls (his daughters) are seasoned liars.
“What they are saying before this court is hogwash. Everyone knows that I am a hard worker.
“I worked hard all these years, only to be called a wizard by my sister, daughters and granddaughter. Ndingaroya aka, ndingada kutoreyi pakari ikaka? (Why would I bewitch this little girl, for what benefit?)” charged Denford while pointing at his granddaughter, Netsai.
“She is lying, she never had eight failed marriages like she is claiming. I only know of one she told me about. When her mother was married, it was her grandmother who received her lobola and squandered it. I did not get anything from Netsai’s mother as bride price,” he blabbered.
Having denied the allegations for a while, Denford later shifted goalposts and said he suspected that all problems bedevilling the family emanate from an avenging spirit of a person who was killed by their grandfathers long back.
He said a hovel that was dedicated to the slain man was built at his brother, Garikayi’s homestead and the family would take turns to ‘provide’ the dead man’s needs.
“There is a hovel that was built by our departed fathers at our rural home meant for a Mozambican who they allegedly murdered.
I suspect that the slain man is behind all the calamities haunting our family,” he said.
Denford and his brother, Garikayi stand accused of possessing snakes at their homes which they allegedly use to bewitch, bed and kill other family members.
The matter was brought to the community court by Denford’s daughters, Theodora and Portia and his granddaughter, Netsai Derembwe.
Derembwe told the court that her grandfather was behind her mother’s death and her eight failed marriages.
“I have eloped to eight different men, but the marriages were short-lived. Trouble would start when my fiancé contacted my family with plans to pay lobola. The goblins would manifest on me and I would have epileptic seizures. I would manifest that I am already someone’s wife. This happened in the eight different cases,” she said.
Netsai added: “When I consulted prophets, I would be told that my grandfather was behind my misfortunes and should be brought to the shrine for cleansing. I would tell my grandfather, but he refused to cooperate. He would send my aunt in his place.”
Garikayi’s son, Clemence also confirmed the presence of a hovel at their rural home, but told the court that it had nothing to do with what was troubling the family.
“If the murdered man already has a hut within the family dedicated to him, then it means his spirit was appeased. We grew up maintaining the hut, fetching firewood and bringing food to it.
“My father and uncle are bringing misfortunes to the family because of greedy. They are the wizards killing us. My father is not playing ball, claiming that he is a Seventh Day Adventist devotee, while our uncle, Denford states that he is a respected member of the United Methodist Church. These two men know what is haunting us and they should own up,” said Clemence, before kneeling down and openly wept.
The two men’s sister, Getrude who was sacked as a pastor by the United Methodist Church had no kind words for her brothers.
“These men are wicked, especially Denford. He had me sacked as a pastor after feeding our bishop with lies that I was a traditional healer. This was because my prayers were causing them sleepless nights. They are wizards, we need help,” she said.
The family allegedly experiences two deaths every year due to the blood thirsty goblins since 2001.
Denford, however, has taken the matter to Mutare Civil Court where he applied a protection order against Netsai, Theodora, Portia and Sandra.
He was represented by Mutare lawyer, Mr Nicholas Nhambura when they appeared before Mutare magistrate, Mr Xavier Chipato.
In his application, he stated that he now lives in fear as the four threatened to burn his house and kill him.
He said the situation was no longer tenable and his life was in imminent danger.
He said his daughters were soiling his good social standing by publishing falsehoods in the media.
On Tuesday, Mr Chipato granted the protection order which bars Musiyarira’s daughters from being violent to their father.
It, however, does not bar them from visiting him at his Zimunya residence, as long as they are keeping peace.
As they left court, Theodora was whisked away by police officers on allegations of assaulting her father when they visited his home together with her sisters last month.
The other sisters openly wept just outside the court building.
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