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Dickson Bandera
A WOMAN, who is being accused of being the ring leader of a syndicate involved in witchcraft in Chiweshe, slipped into a trance at a traditional court on Saturday and started eating soil and cow dung.
Mai Makuva, (73), has come under the spotlight in Nyamunetsa Village in Chiweshe after her relative, Elisha Mwase, was found walking naked, in the early hours of Tuesday, in what some of the villagers claimed was a case of witchcraft.
Mai Makuva was fingered at the traditional court as the leader of a syndicate of witches but she denied the accusations and, instead, said she was a traditional healer, and her supernatural powers came from Mozambique.
“I have a spirit from Mozambique that helps me with traditional healing, not witchcraft,” she told Chief Makope’s traditional court.
“I am not a witch, if it means being exposed, let those who can expose me come and prove that I am a witch.”
Mai Makuva then slipped into a trance and started eating soil and cow dung, crawling on the ground and muttering incoherent statements.
In her trance, she named several people in the village whom she claimed were involved in witchcraft.
None of the people she mentioned were present at the traditional court.
Mwase, 30, also slipped into a trance, struggled to speak coherently and was also crawling on the ground.
Four prophets, who were hired to try and help resolve the mystery, claimed what the crowd was seeing was the spirit which possess witches when they are in the acts of witchcraft.
The prophets were led by Bishop Kuchekwa of the Sungano Apostolic Church.
The prophets were in agreement that there was a witchcraft syndicate in the village and they all implicated Mai Makuva.
Chief Makope presided over the court proceedings and was assisted by two assessors, Mr Fanuel Muzuka and Mr Tafadzwa Nyagonye while Annah Chifamba served as the court secretary.
Drama unfolded at Chief Makope’s court on Saturday as four prophets took turns to expose what they claimed to be a syndicate involved in witchcraft.
Testimonies were heard from Mwase, his family members, and his mother.
Unlike on Tuesday, Mwase had regained his senses and appeared calm and coherent as he presented his testimony.
“I don’t know what happened that day,” Mwase said.
“Even now, I just hear people telling me what happened, but I have no memory of it.
“They say I fell from nowhere in Nyamunetsa Village and I was naked but I did not even understand what they were saying and what this all meant on that day,” he said.
Mwase’s mother told the court that her son was being manipulated by some people, whom she did not name.
She described her shock when she saw her son after the incident, noting that his face appeared distorted and was a frightening sight.
“I was surprised to see what he looked like. I could see he is my son but his face was something I have not seen before.
The proceedings, which started at around 11am, lasted at about 7pm.
There were two rounds of prayers by the villagers and sessions in which the spiritual leaders claimed to have been fighting the evil spirits.
There was a break of about three hours.
Chief Makope expressed his frustrations over the case and made his stance clear on witchcraft.
“If someone is seen walking at night, naked, and his face frightens you, when you look at him or her, isn’t that witchcraft?
“I do not want witchcraft under my jurisdiction. It destroys the lives of innocent people.
“We need responsible citizens who are peaceful and not people who want to harm others.”
The Mwase family was fined one cow for Elisha’s nakedness, which the chief said was an abomination.
The prophets are now assisting the village, which needs a lot of healing, after the challenges that it has faced in the past week.
It’s very clear that this case has divided the villagers. (The Herald)
Online Reporter