Euphracia Mahenga
21 April 2002
SELF-proclaimed witch hunters operating under the name of Tsikamutanda, are creating havoc within families in Mawabeni village, 45km south of Bulawayo, as they seek to reduce the growing number of deaths among the young people which they attribute to witchcraft.
Their activities have caused confusion over how society perceives the Aids pandemic.
Instead of using the high death rates to instil Aids awareness in Mawabeni, the headman and the Tsikamutanda are attributing them to witchcraft.
The area is situated along a highway which links Bulawayo to South Africa and is frequented by long-distance truck drivers who operate internationally and engage in prostitution with the villagers.
Mawabeni is inhabited by the Sotho tribe who have managed to maintain their cultural beliefs and traditions including a deep-rooted faith in witchcraft.
Speaking to The Standard, one villager said the rising death count had prompted them to consult the Tsikamutanda to try to end the tragedy.
"The death rate has increased to such an extent that we are attending funerals almost on a daily basis. Worse, it is the young people who are dying. During our time, it was unheard of for the young to die so often, so we feel that the village needs to be cleansed to scare away these evils which are causing deaths among the youth," said the villager.
Another villager, identified only as Dzikamai, pointed to witchcraft as the main factor since all the young people affected seemed to exhibit the same symptoms before death.
"Our children are all dying in a similar way. They contract chronic dysentery, get thinner and eventually die. The only thing which could be causing this sickness is witchcraft and that is what we are trying to get rid of with the help of Tsikamutanda," said Dzikamai.
The resultant cleansing of the village by the Tsikamutanda, has seen many old women and widows being labelled witches responsible for the deaths of the youth. Those so branded find themselves isolated or ejected from the village, or having to take part in cleansing rituals which may involve being burnt to death. Nomagugu Dhliwayo told The Standard how her face and right arm had become deformed as a result of a Tsika-mutanda ritual.
"People were dying and the Tsikamutanda said I was responsible. They made me crouch over a bucket of boiling water and they covered me with a blanket. When I cried out that the steam was hurting me, I could hear the Tsikamutanda saying that the devil was being destroyed," said Nomagugu.
Another woman, Shuvai Ncube, was labelled a witch by Tsikamutanda and chased from the village.
"When my husband and two children died of Aids, my in-laws consulted the Tsikamutanda who later accused me of having bewitched them. I was later ejected from the village with practically nothing of value," said Ncube who is also from Mawabeni.
These revelations are just the tip of the iceberg for the Tsikamutanda have been operating in this village for almost a year now, resulting in the suffering of many women.
Zinatha secretary-general, Peter Sibanda, told The Standard that his organisation was opposed to the activities of the Tsikamutanda. "We tried to stop them but they would not listen. The problem is that they have the support of the chiefs and headmen, with whom they share the returns accumulated from the exorbitant fees they charge for their services. What they are doing is daylight robbery and people should not take them seriously," said Sibanda.
The Tsikamutandas have reportedly been given permission by government authorities to operate in the country. Efforts to obtain comment from any official in the organisation were fruitless.
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