Tsikamutandas:

SETTLING in a decently built rural home with a modest complement of livestock after retiring from years of toiling industries in the metropolis is always a dream come true for many elderly Zimbabweans.

Retired old people leading such lives are an envy of many a rural folk. They are often seen as the epitome of hard work and wisdom, occupying the high spots on social strata. Such statuses however, come with a fair share of curses within the same rural set up.

While being envied, such “successful” old people are often accused, by their less privileged kith and kin, of sorcery and using voodoo to amass wealth. Stereotypes largely drawn from folktale that witches and wizards are mostly aged worsen the plight of the elderly in rural areas, rich or poor.

With tsikamutandas, traversing the length and breadth of the country, flushing out goblins and sorcerers among villagers, elderly people are common targets. It is no coincidence that these witch-hunters confine their acts to rural areas only. Hardly, if ever do they perform their “wonders” in urban set ups.

Often with the blessings of local leadership, some, who are day time robbers, dressed in prophets’ clothes, force themselves onto households where they, in most cases if not all, unearth strange things.

They “unearth” pythons, voodoo dolls, horns with beads among other paraphernalia associated with sorcery, which they claim are used by mothers to eat their children, fathers to bewitch their neighbours, uncles and aunts to cast spells on their nieces and nephews.

Tsikamutandas have, through their questionable powers, amassed a fortune to the detriment of hoodwinked households, leaving a trail of destruction on people’s relations wherever they go.

These witch-hunters have been camping in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland North province for the past three months.

There is a gnashing of teeth among the elderly in the community who are an easy target of these characters.

For treatment of diseases the witch-hunters demand payment in chickens or goats, while for exorcism they demand a cow per homestead depending of course on what they would have removed.

It does not concern them whether a person has one cow, once they have “exorcised” a household of “evil spirits” they claim their payment. They claim to be prophets using God’s power to rid communities of evil, a debatable claim.

But what is however, apparent is that they have indeed been “robbing” many families in Ntabaziduna of their hard earned possessions. Interestingly, the witch-hunters have opened a thriving butchery at Ntabazinduna growth point, off the proceeds from their to-dos.

Timid villagers are expressing dismay, albeit in hushed voices for fear of censure as the witch-hunters are in the area allegedly at the behest of Chief Nhlanhla Ndiweni. However, Chief Ndiweni could not be reached for comment as he was said to be out of the country. Others are taking part in the rituals reluctantly for fear of ostracism. Despite the ingenuity and entrepreneurial manoeuvres shown by tsikamutandas, earning them a few admirers in Ntabazinduna, 68-year-old Mrs Snodia Mbewe of Mdlela Village, regrets their coming into the area.

“I lost my only cow to these tsikamutandas,” widowed grandmother of four.

“They performed their rituals and removed some strange things from my field which they claimed were planted by some of my relatives to cause misfortune in my life.” said the

Mrs Mbewe, just like many of her villagers could not bar the witch-hunters from performing rituals at her homestead for fear of being evicted from the area by the local leaders. Mrs Mbewe is not alone in this predicament. Dozens of other villagers in Madlela, Mavolunteer, Mafanisa, Gwenyugwenyu, Bhekeni, Gondeni and Mgiqwa villages have lost countless livestock ranging from cattle, goats and poultry to the witch-hunters. Most of the villagers who have lost livestock are aged.

Another victim from Mavolunteer, who however, refused to be named for fear of victimisation said the witch-hunters forced themselves into his house claiming that he owned a goblin.

“The witch-hunters just came and claimed that I had a goblin which I was using to enrich myself. They turned my house upside down, searched every corner and suddenly fished out a live hare with beads tied all over around it, claiming it was the goblin. I don’t know anything about that and all my life I have never been to any traditional healer whatsoever. For whatever they did they demanded a cow,” he said.

The witch-hunters however, met their match in Mrs