Tsikamutandas bounce back

IT seems tsikamutandas are far from running out of ideas in robbing villagers of their livestock as they now identify themselves as prophets-cum-traditional healers.

Villagers in Mlahlamkhonto and Gwangwazile in Matobo District only realised that they had been robbed by tsikamutandas who were disguised as prophets-cum-traditional healers when they filled their kraal with 10 head of cattle within three days.

Villagers had a rude awakening when they realised that Bishop Sweswe and Aunty MaDlamini were tsikamutandas who had fooled them into believing they were prophets-cum-traditional healers.

"These people are liars and they are just tsikamutandas. They have been in this village for the past two days and already their kraal has 10 cattle.

"I am very disturbed because they forced me to pay with two cattle after claiming that there was a snake at my homestead.

"I believe the snake was theirs because the way it all happened is not convincing that they found it here and thereafter, we never saw what they did to it.

"After coming to my homestead, they then demanded the cattle and up to now I'm in a dilemma," said the visibly worried Samson Ndobhi Ncube.

Unfortunately the elderly are the most affected as they will be accused of having goblins and thereafter made to pay cattle.

"It seems it's now a sin to be an elderly person in the village as we are all being accused of having goblins.

"It is also difficult to convince our families that these tsikamutandas are lying as they show them scary animals saying they got them in our houses," said Anita Sibanda who was also forced to pay with cattle.

Another villager revealed that when these tsikamutandas get to a village, they hire spies who are paid with two chickens everyday and they suspected these were the people who updated them about different families.

"These spies who are given two chickens daily are the ones who give them information about families in the village.

Why is it that they only target families where there are elderly people?

"When these people got to the village, they had said they were prophets who mix with traditional ways, but we then realised they are tsikamutandas from the way they are operating," said Kwanele Moyo.

When B-Metro visited the crew at the homestead where they were camping, they identified themselves as prophets who at times switch to traditional herbs.

"We are not tsikamutandas, and we have two different certificates showing that we are traditional healers and prophets.

"We do not force people to pay with cattle, but they do not have cash and so they pay with their livestock," said Bishop Sweswe.

Chief Nyangazonke said he was not aware that there were tsikamutandas in Matopo villages, promising to take action against them.

"I banned tsikamutandas in all my villages. If someone wants help, he or she should look for a healer on his or her own will and should not be forced.

"I will look into that matter and report to the police," said Chief Nyangazonke.