Villager a�?eats the wrong fisha��

Nozipho Ncube
A WHOLE village of Tjankwa, 30 kilometres North-East of Plumtree town is blaming one man for angering the gods by eating what they say was a good luck mermaid.

With rains scarce and hunger creeping in, a pump operator working for Tjankwa Irrigation, Richard Chifuya, while at work stumbled upon a bream a�� a type of fish found in fresh water and took it home for dinner.

Two days later there was an explosion at the irrigationa��s reservoir tank.

Villagers say it was caused by the mother mermaid angry about the loss of her young one eaten by Chifuya.

a�?It was more of an explosion than a collapse because there was a loud sound.A� Bricks were found scattered all over. It was shocking because there was no storm or thunder that night but the destruction resembled one caused by a thunderstorm.A� The whole tank was destroyed and only its base remained,a�? said a villager who identified herself as NaThabani.

She is convinced it was the work of supernatural powers. Other villagers say they have heard of stories about mermaids being spotted in the vicinity. Hence they believe Chifuya ate the wrong fish.

a�?Mermaids have been spotted at Tjankwa Dam. It looked strange and Chifuya is the one who ate it,a�? said Thabani Nleya,A� a villager who was there when the a�?fisha�? was discovered.

But Chifuya although having lost the villagea��s trust insists he ate a fish.

a�?The fish I ate was a breamA� and now people are saying all sorts of things. It was not a mermaid, it was just a big bream,a�? he said.

He also gave an explanation as to why there was an explosion.

a�?The explosion could have happened because of temperature changes and expansion. We emptied the tank to fix a leak. We then filled it with water and at night it exploded,a�? he said.

The tank was two metres high and its circumference was 250 cubic metres. It had a water capacity of 2 500 litres.