Mom initiates daughter into witchcraft
ANYAZURA woman has come forward with startling revelations, claiming that her own mother initiated her into witchcraft, and she is hiding from her and her alleged coven of witches.
In an unsolicited interview with The Weekender on Monday, Memory Maraya (36) revealed a disturbing tale of being initiated into the underworld of witchcraft at the tender age of 13 by her own mother (name withheld) from Mwenezi area of Masvingo Province.
The mother was not available for a comment as her phone went unanswered.
The visibly distressed Memory, recounted her ordeal, detailing how she finally summoned the courage to flee from her mother’s clutches last year.
She alleged that her mother has been relentless in pursuing her, as she wants her back in their witchcraft coven, leaving her with no choice, but to play hide and seek with her.
“When I was only 13-years-old, I vividly remember my mother making some incisions marks (nyora) on my body. From then on, I started dreaming of myself, my mother and other women from the community visiting cemeteries at night.
“My mother would give me a small stick that I would use to hit the grave for it to open. My mom and her friends would get inside the graves and collect human flesh, which they would come back and share with me.
“This happened in my dreams, almost daily and it eventually got to a point where I would start seeing very short men being intimate with me in real life. Since I could not take it anymore, I ran away from home,” she said.
She claimed that her back was full of incision marks as she always dreams walking in the middle of thorny bushes and when she wakes up, she will be having fresh incision marks on her back.
Memory removed her blouse and true to her word, her back was full of fresh and old incisions.
“Even if I visit prophets or traditional healers for assistance, they end up telling me
to find someone else to help me,” she said.
She said at times, she feels unknown things creeping under her skin on the shoulders.
“Anyone can see the strange things moving under my skin. If I try to scratch that part of my body it becomes very painful. My skin will be itching. Milk also drips from my breasts as if I am breastfeeding, yet my last child is over five-years-old,” she said.
Memory said even if she looks for employment as a domestic worker or farm hand, she will be fired within a week as her workmates and bosses will start dreaming of her trying to bewitch them.
“I am being looked after by some Good Samaritans who took me in after hearing my plight. However, all is not well, as they have started dreaming of me bewitching and trying to kill them. They have asked me to leave as they fear that I will end up killing them,” she said as tears streamed down her cheeks.
She claimed that she has nowhere to go once she leaves the Nyazura homestead where she is staying.
She was once married, but her husband sent her packing, claiming that he sees a man each time he looks at her.
Contacted for comment, the woman who
is currently looking after Memory, who only identified herself as Kawere confirmed that her family’s life changed the day they took her in.
“Life has not been the same ever since she moved in. I dream of her chasing me while brandishing a knife every night. Some nights, I dream of her with strange paraphernalia and speaking in a foreign language. My children have also reported the same, so we are now afraid that our lives might be in danger,” she said.
Kawere said even though people in the area are not privy to Memory’s life story, the rumour mill is now awash with stories of Memory being spotted at the local cemetery at night.
“It is true, even yesterday night, I was found wandering outside, while all doors were locked, yet I had retired to bed together with everyone at home. I need help,” said a distraught Memory.
In a phone interview, Memory’s aunt, Chiedza Vakirai confirmed Maraya’s sad story, saying that the matter is being dealt with by the family.
“Memory is going through hell, and we pray for her deliverance. The whole family does not know her whereabouts as she is in hiding from her mother, my sister-in-law.
“When I first got to know of this issue, Memory was struggling to deal with a sexstarved goblin that was sexually abusing her even in the presence of other people.
“She consulted prophets who told her that she was a witch and was initiated by her mother.
“After it dawned on her that her mother had put incision marks on her when she was still a minor, she confronted her. Her mother dismissed her claims, and that is when she let the cat out of the bag.
“She told other family members her ordeal. Everyone is afraid of Memory’s mother and the matter is being dealt with in hushed tones,” she said.
Vakirai said when confronted by other family members over the issue, Memory’s mother professed ignorance and insisted that her hands were clean.
“I know a lot about this issue, but I am not a liberty to divulge more. Memory needs deliverance. She is suffering and her mother does not care,” said the woman.
In an interview, a white garment prophet, Madzibaba Ephraim Chagwadama said he can help Memory and effect a ‘back to sender’ prayer.
“I deal with such matters on a daily basis, and this woman (Memory) is approaching the wrong people for assistance. If she comes to me, I will help her swiftly as I am experienced in these back to sender issues,” he claimed.
In an interview, Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers’ Association (ZINATHA) president, George Kandiero said traditional healers have different categories, and Memory could have been approaching the wrong people.
“We have sniffers. These are traditional healers who only expose witches, but not exorcise them. We also have exorcists and these are the ones this woman should approach.
“It could be that she is approaching novice exorcists when the level of her mother’s witchcraft is above that. We also have hierarchies when it comes to traditional healing. However, she can be healed, she should approach ZINATHA,” he said.