2 witches found undressed in winnowing baskets at church shrine

IN a suspected foiled witchcraft expedition, which sounds like a movie, two self-confessed witches were on New Year's day allegedly found undressed in winnowing baskets at an apostolic sect shrine in Makore Village in Gutu, Masvingo Province.

The bizarre scene was reportedly witnessed at Nguva YaVatendi Apostolic Church led by a prophet identified as Madzibaba Elisha.

The matter of the two suspected witches, Namatirai Moyo and Georgina Mazina from neighbouring Makombo Village, who were also found in possession of witchcraft-related tools comprising animal skins and gourds during their foiled expedition, was reportedly brought before Chief Makore.

They caused a stir at around 6am after being spotted undressed at the shrine by villagers who had started going about their New Year businesses. However, spirited efforts to get in touch with Chief Makore to confirm the larger-than-life incident drew a blank by the time of going to print.

Meanwhile, according to two independent sources from the area, Moyo and Mazina, after being caught, confessed that they travelled supernaturally in winnowing baskets from their homes to Madzibaba Elisha's shrine to smear it with muti so that he would suddenly die upon visiting it. The two alleged witches were reportedly accusing him of divinely shielding their victims with his prayers.

Narrating the story, one of the sources, who claimed to be a member of the Nguva YaVatendi Apostolic Church and asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said pandemonium reigned supreme at Madzibaba Elisha's shrine on New Year's day when villagers reportedly abandoned their celebrations and jostled to catch a glimpse of the two stark-naked witches.

It is reported that angry villagers hurled stones at the alleged witches before Madzibaba Elisha restrained them. The source said Madzibaba Elisha, who rescued the two women from the wrath of villagers, claimed that he had been spiritually shown their dramatic capture two days before they visited his shrine.

He interrogated them about their mission and they confessed that they had come to kill him at his shrine.

"It was a New Year surprise which villagers in Makore will never forget after two women from a neighbouring village were caught undressed at Madzibaba Elisha's shrine. Although cases of witchcraft are usually treated under a veil of secrecy on that particular day everyone who witnessed the incident was convinced that witchcraft really exists after the two women openly confessed to practising it.

"They confessed that they travelled from their village in winnowing baskets to Madzibaba Elisha's shrine where they landed and failed to fulfil their mission of smearing muti on the shrine to kill Madzibaba Elisha, whom they blamed for saving villagers from their black magic practices. After being busted the two women pleaded for mercy but villagers refused to take heed of their request before they referred them to Chief Makore's traditional court," said the source.

"Although the pair first confessed that they were witches who had come to kill Madzibaba Elisha, they later changed their statements saying they were being used by someone from their village to practice witchcraft. Their narration was also a bit complicated after they claimed that they had no knowledge as to how they landed at Madzibaba Elisha's shrine. We are yet to know their fate after they were taken to Chief Makore. These are the kind of stories you B-Metro guys should come and get here in Gutu," said another source who preferred to go by the name Moyo.