Ritual allegations shatter family's faith

Accusations and counter-accusations of ritual practices linked to unexplained deaths and mysterious illnesses have fractured a once close-knit family in Gweru, with the Magore brothers appearing before Chief Mutasa's community court amid deepening mistrust and hostility.

What was once a united household bound by shared faith has descended into fear and suspicion, as the brothers — all members of the African Apostolic Church, commonly known as the Mwazha Church — accuse one another of using alleged spiritual means to cause mental illness, strange diseases and deaths in pursuit of business success.

The family told the traditional court that their troubles began after their sister married in Masvingo, a period they now view as the turning point in the breakdown of family harmony.

Testifying before Chief Mutasa, Simon Magore said the family had lived peacefully until reports emerged that their sister had developed mental health challenges.

"We all belonged to the same church until our sister got married in Masvingo. We later heard that she had become mentally challenged. Her husband told us she would shout and accuse her brother, Tendai, of wanting to kill her and using her as a luck charm for business rituals," Simon told the court.

He said her condition deteriorated to the extent that her husband's family could no longer cope, prompting them to return her to her parental home.

"We took her to church for help, and prophets said she was being used by a relative involved in business," he said.

Suspicion within the family soon centred on Tendai, one of the brothers engaged in business activities away from their rural home.

In search of answers, the family later consulted a prophet known as Zuva, who initially told them their late father had collected luck charms that were buried at the homestead and needed to be removed.

"Those items were taken away, but the prophet later shifted the blame to Tendai," Simon said.

According to his testimony, the prophet accused Tendai of obtaining charms for his business ventures in Nyanga, allegations Tendai denied. Simon said the prophet instructed Tendai to bring the alleged charms for destruction in December.

"When our elder brother went to witness the process, he arrived late and was told the charms had already been destroyed. We were never shown anything, which only increased our doubts," said Simon.

He told the court that instead of peace returning to the family, their problems escalated, with sickness and death affecting several family members under circumstances they found difficult to explain. He added that their sister's condition later improved after she was placed on medical treatment.

Simon said the accusations have poisoned relationships among the brothers, turning close relatives into adversaries unable to communicate freely.

In his defence, Tendai Magore strongly denied the allegations, telling the court he had never possessed any charms and had not inherited any from their late father.

"I went to the prophet because I had a sick child and wanted help, not because I had charms to destroy. Nothing was burnt because I did not have any charms," he said.

Tendai said he could not understand why he was being singled out when other brothers were also involved in business.

"All my brothers are into businesses. I don't know why I am the one being suspected. When I ask them, they ignore me," he said.

He added that the accusations had isolated him from both his family and the church they once shared.

"I stopped going to church because I saw that these prophets were dividing us instead of bringing peace," Tendai said.

Chief Mutasa reprimanded the family for allowing suspicion and jealousy to erode their unity, warning against making serious accusations without evidence.

"You used to love each other. Why is there bad blood now? Go back and sit down as a family and resolve these issues," said the chief.

He stressed that success in business should not be criminalised or spiritualised.

"Being successful in business is not a sin. If one works hard and prospers, it does not mean they are killing for rituals. Stop being jealous and work hard," Chief Mutasa said.

He urged the Magore family to pursue reconciliation through honest dialogue, warning that continued accusations could permanently destroy their family bonds.