Moffat Mungazi
Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender Reporter
A VILLAGE chairman in Nyahukwe area of Makoni District, allegedly inscribed names of fellow villagers on cloths, and used them to wrap soil in an alleged bid to weaken them and “steal” their wealth.
A total of 30 distraught villagers reported Bernard Nyamurundo to Chief Makoni’s community court, alleging that the inscribing of their names on the cloths was done to harm them.
They also claimed that Nyamurundo targeted villagers who are insightful and well up.
Nyamurundo allegedly admitted to the allegations, and jointly brought the matter to the community court, but, however, during the hearing, he first denied the accusations, saying he had admitted under duress.
He later climbed down, and admitted to the allegations, before begging for forgiveness.
Godfrey Chidika who spoke on behalf of the villagers, said they discovered the two cloths inscribed with their names twice at Nyamurundo’s homestead.
He said he admitted that it was his wife who had done that, before he fled from the village.
“There was a funeral at Nyamurundo’s neighbouring homestead and many villagers gathered there. A villager from Rugoyi Village was part of the mourners, and that person went to take a nap under a Mango Tree at Nyamurundo’s homestead. She picked a stone and found a white cloth underneath. The cloth was inscribed with names of some villagers, and she asked the mourners at the funeral if they knew these people.
“I was also informed that my name was appearing on the cloth, together with 27 other villagers. After burial, the villagers confronted the chairman about the issue. At first he professed ignorance, and later admitted to writing the names on the cloth. He said his intention was not to kill us, but wanted us to vote for him to remain as the village chairman.
“Some villagers dragged him to a prophet where he was told that he is a wizard. He did not dispute it. However, the cloth mysteriously disappeared. We later found another cloth on the same spot where the first one was located. It had 30 names of fellow villagers, including some whose names were on the first cloth. Nyamurundo said it was just an ordinary cloth and tried to throw away the soil, but we stopped him.
“Before the matter was finalised, the chairman disappeared from the village for the whole month. He later came back, and called the concerned villagers and apologised. We told him to call the person who had advised him to inscribe our names on the cloths so that he reverses everything.
“He claimed that he did not know where that person was, and offered to look for another person to reverse the curse. We advised him to engage the traditional leadership so that the matter could be dealt with by the authorities. We brought this matter to this court’s attention together with him,” said Chidika.
Nyamuronda told the court that he had admitted to the allegations under duress as the villagers were threatening to deal with him.
He further claimed that the local villagers had barred him from playing his radio and updating his WhatsApp status.
“After the burial of a fellow villager, around 9pm, people flooded my homestead. They claimed that they found a cloth inscribed with their names, but the person who picked the cloth was not there. There was an exchange of harsh words. We consulted a prophet who said the issue must be solved by him only, not the chief’s court.
“We returned home and the following day, they besieged my homestead again at night, and violence broke out. I was forced to admit to things that I did not know. I managed to escape and went to Mutare where I stayed with my brother for some time. Later on, I returned, and people besieged my homestead again, saying they wanted me to appear before this court to explain the issue.
“These people are persecuting me as they have barred me from playing my radio at my homestead, and not to post insulting WhatsApp statuses. They were insulting me and my wife, and I ended up admitting to some issues they were alleging. I did not write their names on the cloth,” said Nyamurundo.
After intensive questioning by the court, Nyamurundo, later gave in, and admitted to have inscribed the names on the cloths.
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“Kukanganisa ndakakanganisa Changamire
(I was wrong in doing this),” he admitted.
Chief Makoni referred the case to the court’s resident traditional healer to determine the effects of Nyamurundo’s actions and remedies.
Nyamurundo was named as the one who had inscribed the names with the intention of stealing the villagers’ wealth.
“The traditional healer first asked Nyamurundo why he was setting fire on other villagers. He was asked who inscribed the names of the people as this lead to their deaths. He admitted that it was him. It was exposed that he had done that in order to steal their wealth. Nyamurundo was asked how he would compensate those who had already passed on, but he said all those on the list were still alive.
“The healer added that those on the list require urgent cleansing, and five beasts are needed for the curse to be reversed. He added that Nyamurundo is planning to escape from the village again,” said a messenger of court giving feedback.
Nyamurundo said he does not have any livestock or assets of meaningful value to fund the cleansing exercise, and said he will engage his relatives for assistance.
The court ruled that those affected should fund the process to save themselves from the effects of Nyamurundo’s evil intentions.
“We cannot force his relatives to fund things they were not part of. The accused person has admitted that he does not have anything to fund the cleansing. Those affected should protect themselves by taking the lead in having the cleansing rituals,” ruled the court.
