'Zimbabwe will receive good rains,' says Zinatha

THE Zimbabwe Traditional Healers' Association (Zinatha) has reiterated its claim that Zimbabwe will receive good rains, going against scientific forecasts. Zinatha, a grouping of hundreds of practitioners of African traditional medicine, last Saturday held a rain-making ceremony at a shrine in Bulawayo.

Zinatha cultural secretary Enerst Tekere told The Chronicle that the rains are expected to pour countrywide as they asked for it from God at their Komninindaba cultural village in Luveve suburb. Zinatha's pronouncements stand in direct contradiction to the Meteorological Services Department which predicted poor rains for the region this year.

"We slaughtered a cow and brewed beer for this ceremony. We asked for rain. We also spoke to local departed kings, including Mzilikazi and Lobengula. We then asked specifically for rains, and generally for Zimbabwe's economic recovery and for diseases affecting people to cease. Hopefully, it will rain. Rain will always fall," Tekere said.

"We believe God will always answer us. It's our way of doing things that we persist in asking for what we want until we get it. Weather experts can only predict, but we tell the truth as it is, the present reality that we receive from God. We believe rain should be requested for from God."

He said they asked for rain through "amadlozi" who connect them with God. Church prophets also attended the event. "When we say it's going to rain, it's going to rain. The weather experts are given to making predictions based on science which is an innovation that was created under God's universe but for us, we ask directly from God the creator," boasted Tekere.

Zinatha said they were not fighting with the weather expects but were only against their drought predictions. Violet Moyo, the traditional healers association's deputy organising secretary, said the rain ceremony was also a request for an incident-free rainy season. "We're used to asking for rain. It's our hope that after such a ceremony rain will fall peacefully without causing any danger (like floods) to the people," said Moyo.

Zinatha president George Kandiero said the rain ceremony was one of many such important events to be held at the shrine in the future. He said they were working towards making the Luveve cultural home a traditional place where people in Bulawayo will come and get assistance. "We want to dominate this area and use it purposeful for rainmaking ceremonies each time we want to pray for it," said Kandiero.

Respected historian and traditionalist, Phathisa Nyathi, endorsed Zinatha's action. He said rain-making ceremonies follow hierarchy. "Rainmaking ceremonies start at a local level, going upwards till they get to the Njelele shrine. They start from a lower shrine till they get to the highest shrine.

"Rain is asked where there is water. I hope Zinatha considered that. "If there're no water trees like umvimila then the place can't be considered as a place for asking rain," said Nyathi.