Tussle over 20-year-old incision marks
Awoman in Makoni, in the Mutasa district of Manicaland province, is at loggerheads with her in-laws who administered incision marks (nyora) on her body over two decades ago.
The woman recently told Chief Makoni’s community court that the incision marks were administered on her in 1998 by her motherin-law while in her birthday suit. She also claims that her father-in-law did the same to his male children.
The matter was brought to court by Cornelious Mapfuwa who wanted his sister, Gracian Mapfuwa’s father-in-law, John Kunyongana, to explain his family’s actions.
“I want my in-laws to explain to me why they administered incision marks on my sister without the knowledge and approval of her parents and relatives.
“We also want to know the purpose of the incision marks. When Gracian’s husband passed away a few weeks ago, we raised the issue before his burial, and Kunyongana said they applied incision marks on Gracian’s body as a way of protecting the family,” Mapfuwa told the court.
However, Kunyongana could neither deny or confirm administering incision marks on Gracian, but told the court that she does not respect him.
“I have a problem with my daughter-in-law. She tried to block my son’s body, her late husband, from being brought to his homestead.
“I have long-standing issues with her from the time she joined this family. She goes around saying a lot of nasty things about me,” said Kunyongana. Gracian said she got the incision marks in 1998. —
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