News / National
Mysterious fire burns down city house
22 Aug 2014 at 07:03hrs | Views
A MYSTERIOUS fire on Tuesday razed down a Dangamvura house and destroyed property worth thousands of dollars which belonged to different tenants in a suspected case of black magic.
This incident has left residents in the high-density suburb demanding a cleansing ceremony as larger-than-life occurrences continue to happen particularly in Areas 13 and 14.
Early this year, mysterious creatures dropped from a ceiling at a house in Area 14 before a python was also discovered in the same area a few months later.
The City of Mutare Fire Department managed to put down the fire before it encroached into neighbours' residences, while some tenants managed to salvage a few household effects.
The incident, which attracted scores of residents from several areas in Dangamvura, happened at around 9pm, at House Number 673, Kuhudzai Street, Area 13.
The fire, according to tenants, neighbours and local prophets privy to the matter, was attributed to one of the families' supernatural shenanigans.
They said a 13-year-old girl and daughter to one Mai Tatenda, popularly known as Kedha, who resided at the house, was allegedly possessed and was possibly a victim of dark powers.
Before the inferno, mysterious stones would occasionally be seen falling from nowhere breaking windows and roofs.
Efforts by local prophet Madzibaba John to "cleanse" the house a few minutes before the incident proved fruitless.
Either police or the City of Mutare Fire Department could not ascertain the cause of the fire by the time of going to print.
"We are yet to establish the real cause of the fire. The case is under investigation," said deputy Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Luxson Chananda.
City Engineer Donaldson Nyatoti said he was not in office and would be furnished with finer details by Thursday (yesterday).
Kedha allegedly vanished from the house in the wee hours of the day and neither she nor her two children were in sight when The Manica Post attended the scene on Wednesday morning.
"The girl would behave weirdly and she could sometimes fall into a trance. Two weeks ago our windows broke after mysterious stones were thrown. We were living in fear all these days because her child would sometimes fall in a trance. About six hours before the incident, a big stone fell, shaking the whole house.
"At around 8pm, we saw a bolt of fire outside and we all panicked. Kedha and a male friend were in their room and we alerted them. She eventually called Madzibaba John who conducted some prayers around the house. Within a few minutes, we heard a huge sound and the house was on fire," said one tenant, Mai Nheredzi.
Kedha reportedly said: "Nhamo yangu yatanga" before she stormed out of the house and alerted the police.
Various tenants packed their remaining belongings and left in a huff. Some debris of destroyed property was seen heaped in the dining room.
Mysteriously, nothing that belonged to Kedha was burnt.
"We heard that Kedha's rural area in Mutambara was also burnt in similar circumstances. Surprisingly most tenants' property was destroyed, but the fire skirted her property. We learnt that she sought spiritual help from various prophets but in vain. We pray that police will intervene and ask Kedha to remove her property. We are living in fear because this fire was mysterious. Madzibaba John came with a mbiya (a clay plate), red piece of cloth and black stone and tried to cleanse the house, but nothing materialised. We believe that whatever Kedha and her family did was too strong because the way the fire started was mysterious," said another neighbour.
The Manica Post managed to track down Madzibaba John who tried his "best" to avert the inferno by cleansing the house to no avail.
"I saw it in spirit that you (news crew) were coming here," he said.
"At around 9pm, I went there and conducted some prayers first at the gate. Spiritually I had seen through the spirit that some evil spirits were following one of Mai Tatenda's children.
"I called for the children, but they were nowhere in sight. I left the house after the rituals, but I knew the house was going to burn sooner or later. This situation was not new to her after we went to her rural home in Mutambara and tried to conduct the same rituals. Various huts at their homestead mysteriously burnt down. I requested to do the cleansing rituals in the presence of traditional leaders in the area.
"I told them 10 cattle were needed to be returned to Mozambique where Kedha and her two accomplices approached a Mozambican sangoma for wealth enrichment charms. Unfortunately the n'anga died before they finished that business. The child was possessed and every house they occupy will go up in smoke. The girl had incisions (nyora) made on her body by her grandmother, so this also could be a contributing factor," said Madzibaba John.
He said Kedha should become a prayer warrior so that these things will not happen again.
This incident has left residents in the high-density suburb demanding a cleansing ceremony as larger-than-life occurrences continue to happen particularly in Areas 13 and 14.
Early this year, mysterious creatures dropped from a ceiling at a house in Area 14 before a python was also discovered in the same area a few months later.
The City of Mutare Fire Department managed to put down the fire before it encroached into neighbours' residences, while some tenants managed to salvage a few household effects.
The incident, which attracted scores of residents from several areas in Dangamvura, happened at around 9pm, at House Number 673, Kuhudzai Street, Area 13.
The fire, according to tenants, neighbours and local prophets privy to the matter, was attributed to one of the families' supernatural shenanigans.
They said a 13-year-old girl and daughter to one Mai Tatenda, popularly known as Kedha, who resided at the house, was allegedly possessed and was possibly a victim of dark powers.
Before the inferno, mysterious stones would occasionally be seen falling from nowhere breaking windows and roofs.
Efforts by local prophet Madzibaba John to "cleanse" the house a few minutes before the incident proved fruitless.
Either police or the City of Mutare Fire Department could not ascertain the cause of the fire by the time of going to print.
"We are yet to establish the real cause of the fire. The case is under investigation," said deputy Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Luxson Chananda.
City Engineer Donaldson Nyatoti said he was not in office and would be furnished with finer details by Thursday (yesterday).
Kedha allegedly vanished from the house in the wee hours of the day and neither she nor her two children were in sight when The Manica Post attended the scene on Wednesday morning.
"The girl would behave weirdly and she could sometimes fall into a trance. Two weeks ago our windows broke after mysterious stones were thrown. We were living in fear all these days because her child would sometimes fall in a trance. About six hours before the incident, a big stone fell, shaking the whole house.
"At around 8pm, we saw a bolt of fire outside and we all panicked. Kedha and a male friend were in their room and we alerted them. She eventually called Madzibaba John who conducted some prayers around the house. Within a few minutes, we heard a huge sound and the house was on fire," said one tenant, Mai Nheredzi.
Kedha reportedly said: "Nhamo yangu yatanga" before she stormed out of the house and alerted the police.
Various tenants packed their remaining belongings and left in a huff. Some debris of destroyed property was seen heaped in the dining room.
Mysteriously, nothing that belonged to Kedha was burnt.
"We heard that Kedha's rural area in Mutambara was also burnt in similar circumstances. Surprisingly most tenants' property was destroyed, but the fire skirted her property. We learnt that she sought spiritual help from various prophets but in vain. We pray that police will intervene and ask Kedha to remove her property. We are living in fear because this fire was mysterious. Madzibaba John came with a mbiya (a clay plate), red piece of cloth and black stone and tried to cleanse the house, but nothing materialised. We believe that whatever Kedha and her family did was too strong because the way the fire started was mysterious," said another neighbour.
The Manica Post managed to track down Madzibaba John who tried his "best" to avert the inferno by cleansing the house to no avail.
"I saw it in spirit that you (news crew) were coming here," he said.
"At around 9pm, I went there and conducted some prayers first at the gate. Spiritually I had seen through the spirit that some evil spirits were following one of Mai Tatenda's children.
"I called for the children, but they were nowhere in sight. I left the house after the rituals, but I knew the house was going to burn sooner or later. This situation was not new to her after we went to her rural home in Mutambara and tried to conduct the same rituals. Various huts at their homestead mysteriously burnt down. I requested to do the cleansing rituals in the presence of traditional leaders in the area.
"I told them 10 cattle were needed to be returned to Mozambique where Kedha and her two accomplices approached a Mozambican sangoma for wealth enrichment charms. Unfortunately the n'anga died before they finished that business. The child was possessed and every house they occupy will go up in smoke. The girl had incisions (nyora) made on her body by her grandmother, so this also could be a contributing factor," said Madzibaba John.
He said Kedha should become a prayer warrior so that these things will not happen again.
Source - manicapost
