Tsikamutanda terrorises villagers

A dubious traditional healer only known as tsikamutanda has unleashed a reign of terror in Mt Darwin where hapless villagers are allegedly being forced to attend his clensing ceremonies with a 195 herd of cattle having already been extorted from them over the past two months.

The self-styled witch-hunter claims that he has the power to weed out troublesome witches after which he makes them pay in livestock – mainly cattle and goats. After receiving the livestock, the tsikamutanda who is not known by his official name in the area then sells the cattle for about US$400 per beast. This means he could have made about US$78 000 so far.

The Sunday Mail Religion has also established that the notorious tsikamutanda has already bought three cars and is splashing money on beer and sex workers at Bradley Growth Point in Mt Darwin.

However, the tsikamutanda could not be reached for comment as he was said to be away from the village when this publication visited Mt Darwin.  Chief Mutumba (Mr Mandaza Marufu) confirmed that the traditional healer had become a menace in the three villages that are under his watch.

"I know that tsikamutanda is operating in my area, he came to see me and I gave him the go-ahead. After meeting him I gathered all headmen and warned them that people should not be forced to consult him. I want to believe that they are doing just that," he said.

"Again, I told the villagers either to visit me or the police when they encounter problems. No one has approached me to complain, an indication that everyone in the village is happy with what is happening."

Headman Chikoto (Mr Moses Chikoto) defended the witch hunter.

"To tell you the truth the witch hunter is doing a great job. He is not forcing anyone, I am the headman of this area and I can confirm that," he said.

He went on to rubbish claims that he is working in cahoots with the tsikamutanda.

"How can people say that we are working with him when we also gave him something when he cleansed us?"  However, one of the villagers who preferred anonymity for fear of victicimsation said, "Personally, I was told that if I refuse to attend the ceremony the village would label me as a wizard and I would not be allowed to stay because I would be considered dangerous," he said.

Another villager weighed in saying, "Each village head is taking his subjects to tsikamutanda and we heard that our local chief authorised these people to operate in our area. Every household is being forced to do so."

An elderly villager claimed that she lost two goats to tsikamutanda after he labelled her a witch.

"What I have noticed is that these people (tsikamutanda) look at a person and assess his or her possessions in terms of livestock before they label them witches or wizards. If one is just a poor villager, he or she is cleared as clean. They will point a finger at you if you have goats or cattle. The whole thing is just a charade meant to rob us of our possessions," said the villager.

Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association (ZINPA) president, Sekuru Friday Chisanyu said the witch-hunters are fake.

"These young men usually aged between 20 and 30 years mislead people in order to rob them. This particular case is not isolated, this has been going on for a long time such that it is high time the relevant authorities act," he said.

If the tsikamundas are indeed forcing villagers to attend their clensing ceremonies then they are violating Section 60 (2) of the Constitution which says, "No person may be compelled to take an oath that is contrary to their religion or belief or to take an oath in a manner that is contrary to their religion or belief.".