Villagers engage witch hunters in search of missing baby

Villagers in Lupane, Matabeleland North province, have enlisted witch hunters to help locate four-year-old Milton Tshuma, who went missing on March 15. The boy was under the care of neighbors while his aunt attended a meeting at a local business center. He was last seen following boys herding goats.

Ward 23 Councillor Fibion Ngwenya reported that they engaged four witch hunters, known as tsikamutandas, and prophets from both Zambia and Zimbabwe to perform rituals, but these efforts have been unsuccessful. One group of madzibaba charged US$350 to bring their leader but left when they couldn't be paid upfront. Another group from Zambia requested the family's participation in rituals, which the child's uncle refused.

Some prophets have suggested the child was murdered and his body parts taken to South Africa. The villagers are desperate for any help, emphasizing the need to find the child's remains if he is dead to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda confirmed the ongoing investigation but reported no new developments. Attempts to contact the boy's mother in South Africa were unsuccessful as she declined to respond.