Dead man speaks from his grave

ACTING Chief Zimunya's court was packed to the brim on Sunday last week as scores of people from Muromo Village and surrounding areas came to witness the continuing case of the controversial Zimunya man, Zebediah Chisamba.

Zebediah, who seems to be ever embroiled in controversy, tampered with the remains of a fallen liberation war fighter, Cde Chikukwa, and now bears the brunt of his actions as the fallen hero continues to haunt him.

Chisamba's recent escapades come after he was in the news again last year in September for siring a child with his daughter, in what was believed to have been an act of witchcraft.

However, Zebediah, in his 70s, is said to have met his match in the avenging spirit of the fallen freedom fighter who is causing him sleepless nights after he stole his bone before reburial for his witchcraft rites.

Unbeknown to Zebediah was that the family had taken a stranger's remains for reburial and the stranger could not have any of the alleged wizard's acts of wizardry.

The troubled Zebediah, who is said to hear voodoo drumbeats and gunshots, is said to be acting schizophrenic from time to time.

The Chisamba family thought they were burying the remains of their son Leonard who died during the liberation war, but they were burying Cde Chikukwa's remains.

At the reburial ritual at their family shrines in Muromo Village, Zebediah is alleged to have secretly stolen some body parts from the coffin for his wizardry, the Manicapost reported.

On Sunday, Chief Zimunya summoned a renowned spirit-medium, Prophet Wilbert Manyetu, to his court to assist him to invoke the spirit of Cde Leonard Chisamba, better known as Cde Mapara Apisa during the liberation war.

Cde Mapara Apisa was a brother to Zebediah and was a section commander in Guruve during the armed struggle.

It was his spirit that manifested itself in a two-year old, Taurai Chisamba, in 2011 and led to the location of his remains in Guruve along with six other cadres from Manicaland that wished to be reburied back home.

The six other cadres were Gugutipwa (Buhera), Mazambani (Nyanga), Chikavha (Nyanga), Dziso (Nyanga) and two Chikukwa brothers.

Zebediah had earlier confessed on June 29 that he had tampered with the late Cde Chikukwa's remains.

He said he thought they were the remains of his brother, Cde Mapara Apisa (Leonard). He also confessed that something was tormenting him, ‘‘munzeve make mairira majeke''.

Chief Zimunya said the next stage was to be guided by Cde Mapara Apisa on the way forward, which is why he summoned the services of a spirit medium.

Prophet Manyetu did his rites and entered the world of the departed and summoned the spirit of Cde Mapara Apisa, which manifested in him.

Speaking in a deep voice, which other war veterans confirmed to be spot on, Cde Mapara Apisa warned Zebediah of his actions.

"The spirit of Cde Chikukwa is not happy and roams the land. His grave has since collapsed (rakadhirikha) to show that he has left his grave angry for retribution and his soul is not at peace," said the spirit of Cde Mapara Apisa.

He added that he wanted the remains of all the five cadres buried at the Rusape District Heroes' Acre to be reburied at the Manicaland Provincial Heroes' Acre in Mutare. Cde Mapara Apisa told Chief Zimunya not to worry as he would make things happen himself if the chief was to face some stumbling blocks in getting the reburial exercise done.

"Mambo ndichatungamira kutaura nevakuru kuti zvinhu zvifambe. Kana zvikada kunetsa ndichapindira sekupindira kwendakaita kuti mapfupa edu asvike kuno kubva Guruve," said Cde Mapara Apisa.

To show the mystic powers of those in the underworld, Cde Mapara Apisa revealed that he knew who had put soil collected from the grave of Cde Chikukwa at Michael Saungweme's homestead in an act of wizardry.

Saungweme, who is a nephew to the Chisambas, was present at the court and was baffled by this revelation.

Although there was no specific reference to the actual perpetrator pin-pointed to be from the Chisamba family, the hint seemed to pin down Zebediah.

Saungweme revealed to Chief Zimunya that his mother had been sick since the re-burial exercise with no actual diagnosis found on her ailment.

He said they suspected witchcraft before and was happy that the revelation by Cde Mapara Apisa had exposed it all.

Zebediah had also confessed that he kept a talisman made up of reeds and small stones buried in his yard, but argued that it was meant to protect his home and not to kill people as his family accused him of doing.

He told the court that he had destroyed the talisman with the assistance of prophets from the apostolic faith church.

Chief Zimunya said to appease the haunting Cde Chikukwa, the next step was to summon the Chikukwa family, which is what he would do.

"Now that the talisman has been removed and the Chisamba family is satisfied, we now want to help Zebediah.

"To appease Cde Chikukwa we need members from the Chikukwa family. I will get in touch with them and they will give us a date when they can come here so that we resolve the matter," said acting Chief Zimunya.

On another note, Chief Zimunya warned Zebediah about his default in paying the fine for siring a child with his daughter.

Zebediah begged for forgiveness and said he would finish paying in instalments by September this year.

Zebediah was supposed to pay reparation (muripo) of one cow and a lamb. He opted to pay in cash and only paid $150 last year. Chief Zimunya said he still owes the court a balance of $150 for the cow and $50 for the lamb.

Zebediah's case first appeared at Chief Zimunya's court on June 15 with relatives baying for his blood accusing him of causing many deaths in the family.