Three children die to compensate chicks

A FAMILY in Gokwe discovered that it was not an empty threat after it mysteriously lost three children within a space of three days after a local village head had warned them that three family members would die to compensate for his chicks that were mistakenly killed by one of the children.

Today life for Mr Philip Makiwa of Mhokore Village under Chief Njelele in Gokwe has turned into a nightmare after his three children aged two, four and 10 died mysteriously early last month after the alleged threat.

Mr Makiwa is now living in fear after the village head, Mr Jorum Kudhela allegedly told his relatives at a joint funeral of the children that he had bewitched them after the former's two-year-old daughter accidentally killed his three chicks while playing.

Narrating his heart-rending ordeal last week, Mr Makiwa said he had a misunderstanding with Mr Kudhela who is his cousin after his two-year-old daughter killed the latter's three chicks which had strayed into his yard.

Mr Makiwa said Mr Kudhela then evicted him from the village after he refused to compensate for the chicks but he stayed put arguing that the village head had no authority to evict him over petty matters.

"After I stayed put, my wife started having weird dreams of the three chicks visiting her while she was sleeping. We went to church elders and we were told that Mr Kudhela was responsible to which he admitted. He was then told to bring his suspected goblins so that they could be destroyed but he refused and stopped coming to church," he said.

"After a few days, my two-year-old daughter just stopped talking and looked like someone who had suffered a stroke. She died two days later. While we were preparing for her burial, our two other children a boy and a girl had the same problem and died three days later."

Mr Makiwa said Mr Kudhela then called for a village meeting where he barred villagers from attending the funeral. Mr Kudhela, he added, told him and his relatives that his children had died because of the three chicks that his daughter had killed.

"He told me that my children had compensated for the three chicks that one of them killed. We then decided to bring the issue to Chief Njelele," he said.

Mr Kudhela allegedly admitted at the chief's court that the children had died because of the three chicks. He also allegedly admitted possessing goblins which he promised to hand over to the prophets from his church.

Chief Njelele fined Mr Kudhela two beasts which he paid and Chief Njelele said he would summon witch-hunters to cleanse the village at Mr Kudhela's expense if he failed to hand over the said goblins to church leaders so that they are destroyed.