Tsikamutandas divide communities

THE increase in the number of self-proclaimed prophets commonly known as tsikamutandas has raised the ire of people, especially in rural areas where they are accused of swindling people of their hard-earned money and livestock.

Tsikamutandas are sometimes referred to as bogus prophets and traditional healers while other people regard them as exorcists or witch-hunters.  Tsikamutandas are also known as a cult of bogus healers who roam the countryside claiming that they can exorcise witches and free families from the acts of goblins for a fee, normally extortionate fees.

The use of supernatural powers in our African tradition has been part of our culture for centuries. Over the centuries some societies have come to accept that some people are gifted with the power to cleanse the community of evil spirits.

Some elderly people still believe that they need the services of witch-hunters claiming that modernity has killed their culture as people now follow other cultures.

It would appear that in some communities, these witch-hunters have quite a following while in others; they are not allowed to practise. Some of the self-proclaimed prophets are known for their youthfulness and for driving flashy cars. It is many of these that demand exorbitant fees for cleansing that at times  forces their victims to surrender livestock such as cattle.

Some of the witch-hunters reportedly "invite" themselves into communities but still demand payment for the cleansing.

They conduct witch-hunting forays and thereafter make the communities pay for the unsolicited         service.

While in most cases, the exorcists invite themselves, in a few of the cases community leaders such as village heads, headmen or chiefs   invite them to their communities to conduct witch-hunting.

Despite repeated warnings from the police that some of these so-called healers are in fact bogus individuals out to steal from the people, communities continue to seek their services.

Last month, some Gokwe villages were terrorised by tsikamutandas who were demanding cattle for purportedly cleansing homnesteads. They operated in Chief Jahana's area and are reported to have robbed villagers of dozens of beasts after accusing them of being witches.

Sometime last year, villagers in Dosert resettlement area in Shurugwi also lost livestock to tsikamutandas who had been invited by their village heads. Villagers in the area reported that everyone was forced to undergo cleansing ceremonies by the village heads. Those who refused were accused of being witches or wizards. Some villagers have become outcasts after being accused by these tsikamutandas of practising witchcraft.

A Bulawayo resident, Mr Khulekani Nkomo said some time ago, a self-proclaimed prophet claimed that he practised witchcraft and was in possession of goblins.

"The prophets came to our village and said that I practised witchcraft and that I had goblins that I used to make money.

"I was then ordered to pay a beast so that they could cleanse my homestead.

"I was astonished to hear these people accusing me of practising witchcraft and possessing goblins yet in my life I have never come across a witch or used traditional medicine.

"As I speak, I am now an outcast and some people in my area do not speak to me or even want anything to do with me," he said.

A traditional healer, Mr David Muhabhinyana, said some tsikamutandas were bogus individual out to make money through extortion.

"Some of these tsikamutandas are out there to make easy money from villagers. Genuine inyangas or n'angas do not charge extortionate fees for their services.

"When one looks at the way the witch-hunters operate and the way we genuine traditional healers operate, it is very different. Genuine inyangas do not go about labelling individuals witches. They are consulted by individuals that have problems and they attend to that problem and in most cases they solve the problem," he said.

Mr Muhabhinyana said because tsikamutandas were bogus, they were not registered with the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers' Association (Zinatha).

"Genuine traditional healers should be registered with Zinatha and should have licences. They have a code of ethics which guides their operations," said Mr Muhabhinyana.

Some communities have now realised that tsikamutandas are out to make money while at the same time creating disharmony within the communities. People from areas such as Insiza in Matabeleland South have declared their areas no-go areas for tsikamutandas.

Chief Gampu of Tsholotsho has also banned witch-hunting in his area and warned headmen and village heads against inviting the bogus witch-hunters.

The deputy president of the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs, Chief Mtshane Khumalo, said witch-hunting divided communities as they caused misunderstandings among the people. He said many of them were bogus individuals out to steal people's money and livestock.

"Otsikamutanda baxabanisa abantu ngokubatshela ukuthi abanye babo bayaloya njalo bathathela abantu izifuyo lemphahla zabo. (Tsikamutandas cause misunderstandings among villagers by telling them that some of them practise witchcraft and also go on to rob them of their livestock and property)," he said.

"It is not wrong for people to consult traditional healers but what is wrong is to engage bogus witch-hunters who end up demanding extortionate payment for doing nothing."