Woman accused of ‘feasting’ on in-laws’ privates

Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
TWO sisters-in-law found themselves embroiled in a bitter feud over allegations of witchcraft, with one claiming that her brother’s wife ‘feasts’ on people’s privates.
The matter was brought before Chief Saurombe’s community court recently, where the accusations and counter-accusations unfolded in a dramatic hearing.
The alleged witch, Tryphine Mucharira, who reported the matter, claimed that her husband’s sisters had been accusing her of witchcraft since she got married 14 years ago.
She eventually dragged Maria Manjongoma to court after a series of public accusations and the confiscation of her shoes.
“On October 6, 2024, she came to my home crying, saying her brother should be prepared for her funeral as someone was trying to kill her. She said she was looking for a space for them to dig her grave after her death because someone was bewitching her. I went into the room intending to greet her, but she refused, saying I was not her relative. She left with her brother.
“Later, she took my crocs (slides) from my doorstep, saying she had confiscated them because I was the one bewitching her. This is a tradition that one does when they suspect they are being bewitched,” she said.
Mucharira further explained how her husband’s sister repeatedly accused her of witchcraft, making it difficult for her to live in peace.
“On November 23, 2024, I was passing by her home when she started singing out loud, uttering words that my alleged witchcraft would soon be over. She later approached me and asked why I wanted to kill her. She asked my husband why he was still married to me when I was bewitching her,” she said.
She further claimed that one of aunties, whom she stays with, was sleepwalking and talking in her sleep, claiming that she was strangling her.
“That is when they fabricated the allegations that I eat flesh from the private parts. I could not take it anymore because their family continue accusing me of witchcraft. That is why I have reported the matter before Chief Saurombe’s community court. I no longer move freely because people in the area name-call and badmouth me,” she said.
In response, Maria Manjongoma claimed that the accusations stemmed from incidents that occurred 14 years ago, soon after Mucharira had joined their family.
“She confiscated my son’s leather jacket, and afterwards gave him some goat meat, and he fell sick after eating the meat. Even today, some of his teeth are bigger than others.
“She has on countless occasions tried to grab my brother’s private parts with the intention of eating them. She also tried that with my other sister’s private parts, and people had to shove her away. She also collected soil from the ground where I would have walked on and used it for rituals. She used a very big needle to strike the soil, and from then on, my legs became very painful, as if someone was attacking me with needles. I approached different healers, and they told me that Tryphine was a witch, and she was using my son’s jacket and the soil she collected to try and kill me,” said Manjongoma.
Manjongoma also confessed that she had gone to her brother’s home and informed him about the allegations against his wife.
“I asked my brother what to do, and he told me that it was not the first time he had heard about the witchcraft allegations against his wife. He claimed that she had even tried to kill her own child. He also said most of the time when they were sleeping together, Mucharira would try to kill him by pulling his private parts,” she said.
After hearing both sides of the story, Chief Saurombe ruled that Manjongoma should return Mucharira’s shoes.
However, Mucharira refused to take them back, expressing suspicion that they were used for rituals.
Chief Saurombe then ordered Manjongoma to pay Mucharira US$5 for the slides, while the court burned those that were presented as an exhibit.
“These are what we call mere allegations. Why did you not report that she is a witch when you confiscated her shoes? She is the one who ended up reporting the matter here because she is disgruntled by your actions. We cannot conclude that she is a witch in this court because she is the victim here,” he said.