Dead boy still alive in an old woman's house: Tsikamutanda

VILLAGERS were locked in a vicious fight after a traditional healer told a bereaved family that their dead child was actually still alive in an old woman's house in Musana on Sunday. Sylvester Tsongora (33) lost his 7-year-old son after a short illness and buried him on May 15 in Mawana Village under Chief Musana.

He was however, surprised when a traditional healer, Ruwiza Saya (also known as Mbuya Nyimo) came to his house in an apparent trance claiming that Tsongora's baby was alive along with a cat that had also 'died'. Mbuya Nyimo told Sylvester that an old woman identified as Necia (Azabere); a grandmother to Sylvester's wife Dorothy Zabron was the one who had caused the death of their son.

"Mbuya Nyimo came from her house roaring like a lion claiming that she was possessed with her spiritual ancestor 'svikiro' and had been sent by her colleague to cleanse my house. "She gave me traditional snuff and ordered me to rub it with my hands as I uttered words to my ancestors claiming my dead son from the grave," said Sylvester. As evidence that she was no fake, Mbuya Nyimo asked Sylvester if he did not kill a cat a few days before the funeral and secondly if a tree branch had not fallen at his house over the same period. In killing the cat, Mbuya Nyimo claimed that Sylvester had killed his son.

With the two events coming to pass Sylvester was fully convinced that Mbuya Nyimo was a genuine n'anga with real 'powers'. This made him ask Mbuya Nyimo to confirm her last prediction that his buried son was kept by Azabere in her house but she refused, said Sylvester. Mbuya Nyimo did not return to her house that evening and Sylvester and his brother in-law Zabron Chatima (25) experienced what they described as being stranger than fiction.

"I slept with my brother-in-law in my bedroom that night and we were thrown about the room by an unseen force. "As a result I lost my voice and also sustained injuries. "The door was locked but after coming back to our senses we realised that we had been thrown outside the house. "Someone even told us that we had been screaming for help.

"Members from the 'mapostori' religious sect were summoned to pray for us and later I decided to report the matter to the kraal head," said Sylvester. The old woman Necia (Azabere) 'armed' with her walking stick, told reporters that she was prepared to allow anyone interested to search her house for the dead or rather not dead who were supposedly hidden in her house. "I am ready even for the whole village to come and search my house for the bodies they claim I have," said Azabere.

The Kraal head, Isaac Mawana, could not handle the case and Sylvester proceeded to Nyava police camp where he was referred to the headman Bernard Chikowore to resolve the witchcraft accusations.

When reporters arrived at Mupandira Growth Point, the headman had deferred the ruling on the case after tempers had reached fever pitch levels.

Contacted for comment Mbuya Nyimo denied the claims made by Sylvester claiming that she was not responsible for her actions or utterances while in a trance. "You should know that I am made up of two beings; myself and the spirit medium which possesses me. "The 'real' me, is not aware of what Sylvester is claiming I said and did. "That is all I can say at the present moment," said Mbuya Nyimo dismissively.

According to villagers of Mawana, the incident has resulted in divisions between Sylvester and his in-laws as "Mbuya Nyimo" now fears to corroborate her claims. Sources say Sylvester killed his in-law's cat after it was discovered to be preying on his chickens. The next morning his son suddenly fell ill with an undisclosed ailment and was rushed to Parirenyatwa Hospital were he died two days later.

"I confessed to killing my in-law's cat, but I don't believe that has any bearing on my son's death. "My in-law Azabere forgave me after I apologised for killing her cat," said Sylvester. It seems the bereaved father did not buy the self confessed spirit medium's claims. "Mbuya Nyimo is coming to cause division and problems in my family and I wanted to expose her to the public.

"I pray that peace prevails once again in our families," added Sylvester. The headman Chikowore could not give a comment on the ruling since he had deferred thanks to the violence and angst being displayed by the involved parties. "I cannot comment on the case. I did not hear much because everyone became violent such that I had to postpone the hearing," said Chikowore.