Are tsikamutandas a necessary evil

THE operations of tsikamutandas who last month invaded Bhejane area in Chief Njelele's area have come under the spotlight following the arrest of four of these inyangas in Gokwe recently.

The late Chief Jahana's area is now under Chief Njelele after the Jahana chieftainship relocated to Matabeleland South Province.

Villagers who live in and around Bhejane Business Centre expressed mixed feelings and reactions on the operations of these traditional healers.

A majority of villagers were of the opinion that the tsikamutandas were saviours who came to deliver them from their "evil" neighbours or relatives who possessed goblins that they allege have been giving them problems for years.

Others were of the opinion that tsikamutandas are con artistes out to steal cattle from innocent villagers.

The latter group was, however, unwilling to speak freely to a Chronicle news team that visited the area to unpack the mystery behind the operations of tsikamutandas.

They said they feared to be labelled witches or wizards if they condemned the operations of the tsikamutandas.

Mr Covers Sibanda said the inyangas were genuine traditional healers doing a good job of flushing out suspected witches and wizards in their area as well as destroying goblins.

"Our lives had been hell for many years because of people who possessed goblins. Personally I think tsikamutandas have been helpful to our community. The people complaining about these inyangas are those who possess goblins.

"Most would have recently purchased the goblins and are thus unwilling to surrender them before they get value for their money out of them. However, the majority of such people who possessed these goblins for many years were grateful to the tsikamutandas for helping them dispose of the goblins.

"They gave testimonies in the presence of other villagers how the goblins had given them problems over the years. These people openly admitted that they owned goblins after being flushed out by the tsikamutandas," he said.

Mr Sibanda said the police should be invited to the cleansing ceremonies to witness the tsikamutandas at work so that they stop persecuting them.

The villagers said some of the problems they faced were mysterious deaths of family members and their cattle, female family members being sexually abused by the goblins and poor harvests induced by the goblins, among many other challenges.

Mr Sibanda claimed that he at one time had 22 cattle in his kraal but lost 18 of them under mysterious circumstances after clashing with a neighbour.

"A neighbour told me that he would clear all my beasts after we had had a misunderstanding. The person in question has always been regarded with suspicion by the whole village. It was not long before I started losing cattle under mysterious circumstances following his threats," he said.

Mr Sibanda said the only problem with the tsikamutandas in his area was that they were too many and ended up demanding too much payment for their services.

He said their charge of a beast was fair as the process of cleansing was life-threatening to the traditional healer.

"The logic behind their charging a beast is in my view fair. If a person parts with a beast or beasts to get a goblin, he or she should be prepared to part with the same beast to rid him or her of the thing.

"Such people are evil and the police should just allow the tsikamutandas to finish their job. I am actually appealing to them to come and witness the cleansing ceremony so that they appreciate their services and the challenge they face in destroying goblins," said Mr Sibanda.

He said people who possessed goblins for years and were as a result suffering because of these things, were grateful to tsikamutandas for helping them to get rid of the goblins. Mr Sibanda said such people were happily paying with beasts to tsikamutandas in appreciation of their services.

Another villager, Mr Gibson Ndlovu, gave graphic details of how goblins were causing problems to villagers in the Bhejane area. He said villagers who owned cattle would fail to get a bull in their cattle pens to help sire calves due to the works of individuals who possessed goblins.

"This would then force the affected villagers to take their cows to the people with bulls, which are controlled by goblins. Whenever your cow gives birth to a calf it dies but the strange thing is the cattle of the goblin owner would be multiplying. In the fields, hardworking people would realise yields that are not commensurate with their labour input and efforts. Mealie-meal disappears in homes while women are sexually abused. The abuse happens in the form of a dream," said Mr Ndlovu.

The village head, Matshoka, confessed that he possessed a goblin inherited from his late father. He said he was among the people pointed out by the tsikamutandas as possessing goblins.

"I did not argue with them because it is true. I inherited the goblin from my late father who was a very rich man. The goblin is now troubling my niece who resides at Gokwe Town. It was given my niece as its wife and when she got pregnant it demanded to know why she cheated on it. It threatened to kill the child who is now about two years old if my niece dares visit our rural home.

"My niece no longer comes home and she was forced to be a member of an apostolic sect for her to enjoy relative peace," said village head Matshoka.

The tsikamutandas have been operating in the Bhejane area for close to three weeks.

They only stopped about a week ago after police arrested four of their colleagues.

The tsikamutandas often charge a cow for their services to each villager who undergoes some cleansing.

Police were called in last week following an outcry from a section of disgruntled Bhejane villagers who lost beasts to the self-proclaimed inyangas.

Locals say the tsikamutandas rounded up about 60 cattle from the area but a number of these were returned to the owners after police intervention. Most women and those who felt that tsikamutandas were fake inyangas were reluctant to give interviews.

Mr Zivanai Ndlovu, an inyanga who was appointed by Chief Njelele to conduct the cleansing act, confirmed that they have since suspended operations until such a time when the police and Chief Njelele cleared them to resume work.

"Chief Njelele and Zinatha had cleared me to conduct the cleansing. It is unfortunate that my colleague got excited and invited his friend from Mutare to come and assist us, leading to the increase in the number of tsikamutandas in this area.

"I am also waiting for the tsikamutandas who came here uninvited to leave this place before I can resume operations. What we are doing is above board since I was cleared and I am registered with Zinatha to practise," he said.

Mr Zivanai Ndlovu, however, said it was difficult to distinguish a genuine tsikamutanda from a fake one.

He said the main objective of tsikamutandas was to promote peace and stability in an area.

"This is why we advise people to forgive and continue living with those who used to own goblins. After the cleansing act, these people are left clean as we destroy the goblins by burning them in the presence of everyone," said Mr Zivanai Ndlovu.

Chief Njelele confirmed that he cleared Mr Zivanai Ndlovu to operate in the Bhejane area following strange happenings linked to suspected acts of witchcraft in the area.

"These things are happening and it is difficult for someone sitting in an office in town to understand this. I have personally witnessed some of these strange happenings. Recently in Europe we read of a little boy who died and woke up in his coffin to ask for water before he lay lifeless again. People believe these strange happenings when they occur in distant lands but when it happens in their country they dismiss them as fiction.

"I allowed tsikamutandas to operate in Bhejane and other areas to inflict fear in people who own goblins so that they stop causing the suffering of fellow villagers," said the chief.