Cops, villagers flee businessman's 'goblins'

VILLAGERS and two police officers scurried for cover after they allegedly stumbled on goblins in a businessman's suitcase while searching for poison that allegedly led to the death of several community members' dogs.

The businessman, Sanderson Bloom Shamuyashe, who runs a grinding mill at Lupote Business Centre in Dete is the eye of a storm as he is also being accused of digging a grave of one of his wife's relatives.

The businessman, however, has vehemently denied the accusations.

A source who spoke to B-Metro on condition of anonymity said villagers were up in arms with the businessman after their dogs mysteriously died after getting into his homestead.

Worried about that, the source went on to say villagers enlisted the services of police officers from Dete police base who accompanied them but were gripped with fear when they opened the business man's suitcase.

"They were shocked when they saw strange beings which they believed were goblins and were seen running for their dear lives," said a source.

The source added that this was not the first time the businessman had been accused of a bizarre incident.

"Most recently he was seen by villagers digging a grave of a relative of his wife. He fled from the scene leaving his shoes which were used as exhibit and the issue was taken to Chief Nelukoba and after a full trial the chief ordered him to leave the area but he denied vehemently that he was the one who was seen desecrating a grave," said a source.

The source added: "He (Shamuyashe) said the chief should enlist the services of witch-hunters popularly known as tsikamutandas to come and sniff out the witch saying if tsikamutandas catch someone else he would take the villagers and the chief to task."

The source went on to say in fear of the invisible beings community members now shun his services.

The businessman's wife Bessie Ndlovu who works for a safari company nailed him: "I heard that police officers and villagers saw strange things at our homestead when police were investigating a case of dogs which died mysteriously. I will no longer stay with him because he was caught digging a grave of my younger sister. He ran away and left shoes at the grave site.

She added: "The issue did not go down well with my parents. The matter was taken to Chief Nelukoba who after a full trial ordered us to vacate the place but my husband refused to leave."

Shamuyashe said: "There is no goblin that they saw, I even advised village head Simanyayi, former councillor, my father-in-law and other villagers to enlist the services of tsikamutandas to root out such goblins. I told them that if they fail to root out such invisible things they have to give me a beast."

He even denied that he was found digging a grave.

"I don't dig graves. I told the chief (Nelukoba) that I won't leave because I'm not a witch. They have to look for tsikamutandas who will name and shame the person who was seen digging the grave. I will not leave, I will stay here," he said.

Matabeleland North police spokesperson Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese was not reachable for a comment.