News / National
Goatskin-wearing twins marry, father two children each
28 Jul 2012 at 04:59hrs | Views
THE year is 2006. The month is February. It is mid-morning and time for shopping at Borrowdale, one of Harare's upmarket shopping malls.
It has been raining all night long but as the day progresses imperceptibly, the skies start clearing and shafts of sunlight filter through the ever-thinning rain clouds. People, mainly hypochondriacs, pour out of their homes to shop.
A spectacle of two young adults wearing kilts or loincloths, only covering the essentials in front but leaving the buttocks exposed, sends motorists screeching their vehicle tyres for a glimpse.
Awestruck shoppers gather around the two gentlemen as they go from one shop to another, doing their business as if nothing is unusual.
Business though, almost grinds to a halt but unperturbed by the furore, the 22-year-old twins, Tapuwanashe and Tafadzwanashe Fichani go on. Eventually they are arrested, locked up in remand prison and released on condition they wear clothes.
This is not a script for the Gods Must Be Crazy but reality, although the mind could easily be forgiven for wandering into the trajectory of that film.
Six years down the line, as nature dictates procreation, the Fichani twins are married and have two children each.
"Things are fine here. We have redefined our life. I am married and have fathered two girls, Ruvarashe (2) and Tambudzai (1). I am doing gore mwana gore mwana, so the elders say," says Tafadwanashe, with a wide smile.
"My brother Tapuwanashe has two boys with two women, Desire (9 months) and my namesake Tafadzwanashe (7 months)."
Last weekend this writer caught up with Tafadzwanashe after a long search, that took him to Mhangura, Karoi, Chirundu and finally Banket.
After being led to a farm between Banket and Chinhoyi, a jovial Tafadzwanashe, was found harvesting maize, while his brother was away, at another farm.
Tafadzwanashe who is euphemistically known by his totem Chirandu, opened up on their life after the ordeal in Harare Remand Prison and settling with the spirit medium of Mbuya Nehanda in 2006.
With his beautiful but ultra-modern wife, who could easily be mistaken for a model, sitting beside him and holding his two girls on the lap, Chirandu narrated their life.
"You see, we are staying out here and things are fine for us. It is quiet here. As you can see, this is my wife and these are my two girls. My brother has two boys but both are younger than mine.
"Society expects me to do this and to marry and thus I am forced to fend for the family and I am doing just that. My brother is doing the same.
"After that ordeal in prison, we were collected by Karoi businessman, Never Gasho, who took us to Mbuya Nehanda. I tell you, we feel more accepted here than anywhere in the world. We feel loved and at home and we are happy. We are loved more than what is done by our parents. It is unbelievable!
"Of course, given our way, we would go back to our old ways and wear what we want. My wife can speak for herself, I am a real man and I love her and the kids," says Tafadzwanashe.
Tafadzwanashe's wife Dadirai is camera shy and soft spoken but only heard about her husband's goatskin kilts story when she was already head over heels in love with him.
"I was doing my shopping in Harare one morning and my cash was kind of short so I was worried. He approached me and asked what was the problem.
"I told him and he helped me with the cash. I was staying in Kuwadzana that time and we exchanged phone numbers. We phoned each other more often and then it became a relationship. We became hotly in love.
"I never suspected anything but when we went to see my aunt for introductions, she took me aside and told me about the goat kilts story but it was too late. I loved him and I had already made up my mind to be his wife. I have no regrets. We get along well and I really believe in him and I do what he wants.
"You will be surprised that our traditional beliefs are not too different. In fact, we are one and the same," she says with a smile.
Debate over how to behave when expressing one's spiritual beliefs is as old as the mountains we see today, but at one stage or the other, one finds comfort in spirituality when encountered at the right place doing the right things with the right people.
Defining oneself spiritually may or may not be in tandem with societal values, earthly or heavenly, but ultimately, one finds a solution that influences the line of belief and subsequently enjoys the comfort of both flesh and soul.
Tapuwanashe is now the chief of protocol at the spirit medium's sacred shrine near Lions Den, in Mhangura, Mashonaland West, while Tafadzwanashe is living with the medium's chief aide, Sekuru Makamure.
Anyone wishing to see or consult the medium has to go through Tapuwanashe who vets and either approves or denies access.
He also arranges meetings and takes charge of the medium's itinerary.
After being convicted of indecent exposure, the twins were taken by Karoi businessman Gasho, who surrendered them into the hands of Mbuya Nehanda in May 2006.
The Fichani twins first caused a stir when they walked around Harare streets half naked and they defied efforts by their father George Pedzisai Fichani to transfer them to his Kadoma farm, opting instead to stay with maternal relatives after consultations with their United States-based mother.
"Our father is still in Kadoma our mother came from Canada early this year and we went to Harare and spent four days with her.
"My last words to the world are that people must guard against wolves in sheep skin. The wolves come using God's words yet they are making money from the poor.
"We pray, here with Ambuya and Sekuru, the traditional way and every Saturday we gather to pray. We use traditional snuff in the church.
"Everyday I pray hard because there is a word that keeps on telling me to go back to the traditional dressing and the beliefs but this world will not understand my brother and me. I wanted to be like John the Baptist who survived on grasshoppers and wild honey but this world will not have it. It is extreme. I get emotional about it but I have no option. I have to do what the world expects," says Tafadzwanashe.
When all is said and done, this is another example of religion and religiosity, the art and the belief. Only time will tell.
It has been raining all night long but as the day progresses imperceptibly, the skies start clearing and shafts of sunlight filter through the ever-thinning rain clouds. People, mainly hypochondriacs, pour out of their homes to shop.
A spectacle of two young adults wearing kilts or loincloths, only covering the essentials in front but leaving the buttocks exposed, sends motorists screeching their vehicle tyres for a glimpse.
Awestruck shoppers gather around the two gentlemen as they go from one shop to another, doing their business as if nothing is unusual.
Business though, almost grinds to a halt but unperturbed by the furore, the 22-year-old twins, Tapuwanashe and Tafadzwanashe Fichani go on. Eventually they are arrested, locked up in remand prison and released on condition they wear clothes.
This is not a script for the Gods Must Be Crazy but reality, although the mind could easily be forgiven for wandering into the trajectory of that film.
Six years down the line, as nature dictates procreation, the Fichani twins are married and have two children each.
"Things are fine here. We have redefined our life. I am married and have fathered two girls, Ruvarashe (2) and Tambudzai (1). I am doing gore mwana gore mwana, so the elders say," says Tafadwanashe, with a wide smile.
"My brother Tapuwanashe has two boys with two women, Desire (9 months) and my namesake Tafadzwanashe (7 months)."
Last weekend this writer caught up with Tafadzwanashe after a long search, that took him to Mhangura, Karoi, Chirundu and finally Banket.
After being led to a farm between Banket and Chinhoyi, a jovial Tafadzwanashe, was found harvesting maize, while his brother was away, at another farm.
Tafadzwanashe who is euphemistically known by his totem Chirandu, opened up on their life after the ordeal in Harare Remand Prison and settling with the spirit medium of Mbuya Nehanda in 2006.
With his beautiful but ultra-modern wife, who could easily be mistaken for a model, sitting beside him and holding his two girls on the lap, Chirandu narrated their life.
"You see, we are staying out here and things are fine for us. It is quiet here. As you can see, this is my wife and these are my two girls. My brother has two boys but both are younger than mine.
"Society expects me to do this and to marry and thus I am forced to fend for the family and I am doing just that. My brother is doing the same.
"After that ordeal in prison, we were collected by Karoi businessman, Never Gasho, who took us to Mbuya Nehanda. I tell you, we feel more accepted here than anywhere in the world. We feel loved and at home and we are happy. We are loved more than what is done by our parents. It is unbelievable!
"Of course, given our way, we would go back to our old ways and wear what we want. My wife can speak for herself, I am a real man and I love her and the kids," says Tafadzwanashe.
"I was doing my shopping in Harare one morning and my cash was kind of short so I was worried. He approached me and asked what was the problem.
"I told him and he helped me with the cash. I was staying in Kuwadzana that time and we exchanged phone numbers. We phoned each other more often and then it became a relationship. We became hotly in love.
"I never suspected anything but when we went to see my aunt for introductions, she took me aside and told me about the goat kilts story but it was too late. I loved him and I had already made up my mind to be his wife. I have no regrets. We get along well and I really believe in him and I do what he wants.
"You will be surprised that our traditional beliefs are not too different. In fact, we are one and the same," she says with a smile.
Debate over how to behave when expressing one's spiritual beliefs is as old as the mountains we see today, but at one stage or the other, one finds comfort in spirituality when encountered at the right place doing the right things with the right people.
Defining oneself spiritually may or may not be in tandem with societal values, earthly or heavenly, but ultimately, one finds a solution that influences the line of belief and subsequently enjoys the comfort of both flesh and soul.
Tapuwanashe is now the chief of protocol at the spirit medium's sacred shrine near Lions Den, in Mhangura, Mashonaland West, while Tafadzwanashe is living with the medium's chief aide, Sekuru Makamure.
Anyone wishing to see or consult the medium has to go through Tapuwanashe who vets and either approves or denies access.
He also arranges meetings and takes charge of the medium's itinerary.
After being convicted of indecent exposure, the twins were taken by Karoi businessman Gasho, who surrendered them into the hands of Mbuya Nehanda in May 2006.
The Fichani twins first caused a stir when they walked around Harare streets half naked and they defied efforts by their father George Pedzisai Fichani to transfer them to his Kadoma farm, opting instead to stay with maternal relatives after consultations with their United States-based mother.
"Our father is still in Kadoma our mother came from Canada early this year and we went to Harare and spent four days with her.
"My last words to the world are that people must guard against wolves in sheep skin. The wolves come using God's words yet they are making money from the poor.
"We pray, here with Ambuya and Sekuru, the traditional way and every Saturday we gather to pray. We use traditional snuff in the church.
"Everyday I pray hard because there is a word that keeps on telling me to go back to the traditional dressing and the beliefs but this world will not understand my brother and me. I wanted to be like John the Baptist who survived on grasshoppers and wild honey but this world will not have it. It is extreme. I get emotional about it but I have no option. I have to do what the world expects," says Tafadzwanashe.
When all is said and done, this is another example of religion and religiosity, the art and the belief. Only time will tell.
Source - TC
