Spirit medium accuses its neighbour of possessing a black mamba

A SPIRIT medium which is manifesting through a 22-year-old Nyazura woman has torched a storm, accusing its neighbour of possessing a black mamba that he uses to secretly plunder crops and animals from other villagers (divisi / umgobho).

The utterances have sent tongues wagging, with the superstitious members of the community demanding that the spirit medium be allowed to seize the snake and cleanse the homestead of Farai Alfisher Jesinawu (Mufushwa).

The incident has become the talk of Majuta, an A1 village in Chipembere area of Nyazura.

The spirit medium is manifesting through Elizabeth Machingo (22) and purports to be of the late Ambuya Maenzanise.

Elizabeth thrice tried to besiege the Jenisawu homestead with the intention of seizing the reptile without success.

Jenisawu denies the allegations and described Elizabeth's actions as "demonic".

However, the possessed woman has vowed to deal with her erstwhile neighbour until he bows down to her demands.

"My son and his family are suffering as a result of him. Ane urombwa hwedivisi. He approached a n'anga in Malawi that gave him a concoction in the form of an old black mamba which he keeps locked in a small hut.

"I tried to bulldoze my way into the hut on December 27, 2014.

"They left me for dead and my battered body was dumped at the gate. I was resuscitated after being sprinkled thrice with holy water mixed with milk," said the spirit medium.

The assault case was reported at Nyazura Police Station where a warned and cautioned statement was recorded from the accused.

The case is pending before the courts.

"He is tormenting my family. I intervened because his cruelty had reached a stage where he wanted to sacrifice my cousin to enhance his paraphernalia. He targeted my son's family because they work hard. He has tormented my son and his family. His charms are causing the death of my son's livestock over and above their harvest," she alleged.

"At the beginning of each farming season when people have planted, he wakes up in the wee hours and performs his rituals in the fields so that when the crops mature they harvest nothing. Personally, he plants a very small portion, but he harvests bountifully. His charm makes it possible for him to reap from other people's fields.

"He never runs short of food.

"He has a black mamba, urombwa ihwohwo. It collects anything that his heart wishes. He dispatches it at night.

"His finger was cut as part of the ritual process. If he cut a leaf from your tobacco crop, that year you won't make any money. If he admires your cow, goat or chicken, then you are in trouble as you will lose them," claimed the possessed Elizabeth.

"I want to expose this. I want to destroy it.

"He will eventually die because if the snake dies he follows suit. That is why he is adamant.

"The snake is big and you need to be strong to kill it, but I will," she said.

However, Jenisawu dismissed the claims as the work of evil spirits. He was last Thursday granted a protection order against the marauding Machingo family.

"I am not a witch, neither am I a ritualist. There is no iota of truth in what she is saying.

"My hands are clean, but I cannot dignify her claims by allowing her to besiege my homestead. That cannot happen. All along we were staying together well and all the problems started in December when she visited her parents," he told Chief Makoni.

Chief Makoni absolved him of any wrong-doing and advised the two parties to go and live well together.

Chief Makoni dismissed the spirit medium's utterances as incoherent.

They were referred to a n'anga, which also said Elizabeth needs help.

This did not go well with her.

"The chief was supposed to give us an option, not to take us to a n'anga of his choice. The n'anga asked our names and the bone of contention. The n'anga never explained anything. He was play-acting. He drew a knife and made strange narrations," she explained.

"The n'anga was fake. He was bought. They are suppressing spirit mediums. He chased me with a knife," she alleged.

Chief Makoni said she was deranged and needed to be treated.

One of the villagers, Bernard Yoramu, described the revelations as a tip of the iceberg and urged the traditional leadership to take the matter seriously.

"It is strange that the accusations are pointed at one person and immediately after that, he sold about five cattle. What did he want to use the money for? He bought his way to justice. This is not a small matter," said Mr Yoramu.