Human finger found in masese has been buried

Last week we carried a story about a human finger that was found at Ingwebu Breweries and after intensive efforts we managed to track down the owner of the finger.

The owner is a Nkulumane suburb man who goes by the name Doubt Moyo, a general hand at the 'masese' (opaque) beer brewery. Moyo lost four fingers after they were sliced off while he was loading maize into a holding silo. Three of the fingers were instantly found while the missing fourth one was only found recently.

Contrary to earlier reports, Moyo revealed that he lost the fingers in May and not in October. He went on to reveal that since then he had been unemployed until Thursday last week when an entourage of the company's top brass gave him his job back following a visit to hand over the finger.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful that I was given my job back. I am in emotional pain because when I returned from Mpilo Hospital after undergoing treatment I was told that I had been fired. Like a man I took it in my stride even though the company did not help me in any way," he said.

The man who was in near tears during the interview said he was shocked when he was visited by the company's top management.

"I didn't know what to say. They told me that the missing finger had been found as such they had come to hand it over to me. To tell you the truth I was surprised because I was chucked out like dirt. However, I welcomed them and heard them out. After the talk, they said I should come to work the next day as I had been given back my job. Because I had been living from hand to mouth, I did not hesitate to go back despite the way I was first treated," said Moyo.

Moyo said he has since taken the finger to his rural home in Binga in accordance with his family culture.

"My parents BURIED it in the same place with the other three. I am happy that the matter has been put to rest because I had been worried if I will ever get it," he added.

He said he will be travelling to Binga for further rituals.

"The fingers should be appeased so that the misfortune does not occur again," he said.

Meanwhile, last week Ingwebu's head of marketing and corporate affairs, Themba Sibanda, said the company kept contact with Moyo as he was on sick leave during the trying times and that all his needs were being taken care of, disputing that he had been fired.

The silo which contained the maize where the finger was found had its contents  (nine tonnes) thrown away. The maize was to be used in the production of masese.