The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
ONE of the notorious tsikamutandas in Nyamajura area of Odzi allegedly abducted and locked up a school head girl in his lodgings forcing her to skip a national O-Level examination paper on Monday.
The tsikamutandas have camped in villages 9, 10, 11, 12 and 16 in Nyamajura where apart from womanising and consuming whisky and other mind altering liquids are using deceitful ways to steal villagers’ livestock and property under the guise of cleansing homes and individuals accused of practising witchcraft.
When The Manica Post visited Nyamajura Secondary School on Monday mid-morning, the school head, Mrs Jessiman Chakaza, said Diana Shumba, their head girl, had missed an examination that was written in the morning.
“She was supposed to have set for the Accounts exam, but she is not here and we are still trying to locate her. We have since notified the local police to help locate her,” said Mrs Chakaza, before referring further questions to Mutare District Schools Inspector (DSI), Mr Zacharia Chikwangwani.
The girl was later escorted to the school to sit for the Geography paper in the afternoon after police intervention.
The girl’s father, Mr Ernest Shumba was upset when approached for a comment.
He said the girl had been sent to Mutare and along the way was abducted by tsikamutanda who locked her up at Nyatsime Business Centre.
Mr Shumba teamed up with his son, Augustine and other community members to rescue the girl, before the suspect only identified as Solo, alias Kavhozho, vanished into the darkness.
The girl was allegedly complaining of severe headache and general body weakness.
It was not immediately clear if the girl had been sexually abused.
“These tiskamutandas are causing untold suffering in this community. They abducted her and cast a spell on her. She is unwell. What these people did to her was evil,” said Mr Shumba.
Mr Shumba appealed to Headman Harrison Manyengwa who operates under Chief Makoni to bring the self claimed exorcists to book.
Headman Munyengwa said they should be arrested.
“Such conduct is deplorable. How could they abduct and abuse a small girl? That is unacceptable, they must be arrested. That was very bad and they should leave my area. If they were here to exorcise goblins, why are they abusing those school girls? No. I am so disappointed, and in fact they must be arrested,” said Headman Munyengwa.
Village head, Mr Tofirei Chitiga, said the tsikamutandas had provoked the wrath of the Nyamajura community by abducting the girl.
“What was the motive of locking up the girl in their lodgings around 7pm? Initially, Kavhozho had denied knowledge of the girl, but when he was forced to open the door, the girl was found in his house. And why did he run away? He knows what he did was wrong,” said Mr Chitiga.
“I visited the girl yesterday (Sunday) and was told that her condition was bad. Her mother told me she could not even sit. It is either they beat her up or a spell was cast on her, in’anga ka idzo,” added Mr Chitiga.
Tsikamutandas have set up permanent bases in stressed rural areas where several families have been impoverished after being robbed of their hard- earned wealth by the crooks.
The tricksters first establish
relationships with the local leadership who then convince villagers that they (tsikamutandas) could
solve their social and economic problems.
When granted the nod to operate in the area, the tsikamutandas force villagers to undergo a number of
traditional cleansing ceremonies
and consultations with alleged ancestors.
After undergoing the rituals in which the alleged ancestor then speaks to the victim from behind a curtain in a room, one is often implicated in witchcraft, ngozi, possessing goblins among other social ills.
The suspected witch, wizard or wrongdoer and the one whose homestead would have been cleansed are then asked to pay for the services, usually in the form of livestock and cash.
They “uncover” voodoo dolls and horns with beads among other paraphernalia associated with sorcery, which they claim are used by women to eat their children, men to bewitch their neighbours and cast spells on their neighbours.
