Tribute to my Father - Excerpts from Probing Darkness

21 years ago, on this day we lost a father, grandfather, community leader, minister of religion, successful farmer, life-long teacher, mentor, organizer and indeed fountain of wisdom for Mutema clan of the monkey, baboon totem. As we commemorate the departure of this illustrious son of Mudzvova Kobodo and VaMaduda, the daughter of Maraire, Zimuto, named Muchemwa Gilbert Felix Maturure Mudzvova, we look forward to the future with hope and understanding of his vision and values inculcated in us. As an educator par excellence, he taught us the supreme values of good educational grounding, perseverance, and hard work.  As a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church he set an example of moral uprightness, shunning evil and witchcraft, respect of neighbors and selfless work for the well being of the entire Sarikayi Communal land.  However, his death so sudden and unexpected, left so many unanswered questions to his children, spouse, congregates of his parish, colleagues in the ministry, relatives and friends and indeed the entire Mutema clan and the community of Sarikayi communal land.  

From 2008, the quest for the cause of his death re-stirred in me, and I committed thereon, on the need to tackle one of the most underestimated causes of African deaths - witchcraft. This culminated in the publication of a book – Probing Darkness, which confronts this problem head on, without fear or favour. The work, subdivided into three phases, is an inquiry into the uncharted area of witchcraft in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this publication real stories of this ignominious criminality are narrated, each giving relevance to the topic that many trivialize as backwardness. Each story, dear readers, is indeed a tribute to lost lives. The main objective is to draw attention to the negative effects of witchcraft on developmental efforts in the sub-region. The book is envisaged to sustain robust conversations about witchcraft resulting in proffering homegrown solutions to curtail and perhaps obliterate witchcraft activities in African communities. Part 2 is an examination of how African communities have managed to tackle the threat of witches, especially in the context of absence of enabling legislations.

Part 3 of the book is a tribute to the author’s father, Muchemwa Mudzvova, whose entire life was at the mercy of witches. A chronology of happenings in his life on earth depicts the wickedness of witches, who often operate within a network of close relatives. Their actions were driven by jealousy, dominance, and deception.

In the final section, Robert Mudzvova shares with readers his life’s intricate and intimate moments. Triumph over African witchcraft demons should not be taken literally, but should be seen as one’s conscious ability to distinguish between light and darkness or truth and deception. The publication of the book is a triumph, for it bares the intricacies of witchcraft that had been buried for years. The exhumation thereof shall create a permanent record to be used as a source reference in any discourse regarding this disgusting and abhorrent social ill.

However, in this blog article we shall focus exclusively on the life of my father, highlighting the shenanigans of witches, the deplorable and evil consequences of their actions, and possible remedies going forward. We quote verbatim, sections from Probing Darkness, particularly, Chapter 5 – Tribute to my Father.

  

A wise farmer takes good care of the seed, which shall grow and reward him 

Birth

Soon after his birth, my father was named Muchemwa, meaning, “To be mourned”. All his elder brothers had died when they were toddlers. The midwives and aunts were therefore sure that the newborn son would soon follow others. My grandmother, VaMaduda, was an astute woman of virtue and hard work. Her intimate knowledge of midwifery earned her not only accolades and honor, but wealth as well. Soon she defied African cultural practice that barred women from owning cattle. She had a sizeable herd, which was later inherited by my father and eventually by his children. It’s a legacy that we are proud of. It was, however, this wealth that was the real reason for my uncles’ demise. Other impoverished wives of my grandfather, Mudzvova Kobodo, wanted the wealth of VaMaduda to be inherited by their sons. My uncles did not perish on account of inaccessibility to critical vaccination, but due to witchcraft, for only sons perished and daughters were spared.

Suffering

Known throughout the hills and valleys of Sarikayi communal land as a hard worker, my father owned various domesticated animals that one could pragmatically have in a rural set-up. Apart from animals, he always produced the largest harvest. The latter resulted in him being nominated to be the organizing secretary of the farming cooperative, tasked with the responsibility of marketing the community’s crops to the state-owned Grain Marketing Board (GMB). The role required marketing, financial, administrative, and logistical capabilities. Moreover, he ministered at the local parish of the Dutch Reformed Church, where he carried out his duties with vigor and dedication. These achievements from humble beginnings became a cannon fodder for constant harassment, sustained hatred, and scorn by jealous and wicked characters in the community. Hatred and great security threats emanate not from distant places, but in the midst of our own. My father’s own people were responsible for his suffering for as far as my memory can recall. Initially, they barred him from Madzoro, a livestock herding system, whereby households rotated the herding of all village livestock, typically for two days up to maximum of a week per household. This enabled others to focus on other chores and even to rest. My father had to look after his livestock daily, with occasional breaks when we relieved him during weekends and school holidays. He hardly rested given that his fields required attention. His “crime” was that his herd was largest in the village. If that was the only justification, how come when other villagers acquired more cattle and their herds surpassed ours, we did not see the furore they displayed about our herd earlier on?

My father was not born a village farmer as some thought. He had previously worked as an administrative clerk in Bulawayo after attaining the highest educational level for an African then, being Standard 6 in colonial Rhodesia. VaMaduda’s ingenuity and tenacity enabled by her well-deserved wealth played a pivotal role in his education. She again defied normal belief and practice by sending her son to a mission boarding school, much to the chagrin of other wives.

VaMaduda’s legacy is evident to us, her grandchildren in that most of us, with the exception of some of my sisters, attended mission boarding schools up to highest academic level offered by the curriculum. It wasn’t a stroll in the park for my father, neither was it for my grandmother, given that the fees at these schools were not low either in Rhodesia or Zimbabwe. It was their vision for the future that gave them the impetus to continue struggling. It was not a struggle in vain because the rich fruits of their sweat abound. We honor them for that.

My father later helped to establish the first modernized local primary school, Masvingise, named after my great-great-great-grandfather, in the village during the colonial era. This background was instrumental several years later when he took up different community leadership roles.

When the head teacher of this particular school, some years later, bought a bakkie (pickup truck), my father was the first, besides the owner, to drive it. The head teacher was in his final stages of obtaining a driver’s licence. He pleaded with my father to assist him in driving the vehicle, especially during many of his visits to the nearest city. My father executed the role diligently and with his characteristic dedication. Many people were clearly unimpressed. Gross misrepresentations were made to the head teacher, all due to jealousy, wickedness, and unfair competition.

At the height of the liberation struggle in my country in the late 1970s, most successful village elders perished when they were sold out to Rhodesian soldiers and even to the comrades (liberation war fighters). An eloquent misrepresentation to either side resulted in one’s death. Some sellouts unsuccessfully tried to influence the comrades to harm my father and his friend on account of their roles in the Masvingise School Development Committee and as religious leaders. However, some of the fighters objected to the sellouts’ line of argument and that saved their necks. They could have followed many of our community elders who were massacred on false accusations.

Ironically, the guerillas themselves left an indelible mark regarding witchcraft activities in my country. In all liberated zones: areas where the Rhodesian army had been vanquished, witchcraft activities were negligible. This was neither a coincidence nor the fact that witches were scared of AK-47 assault rifles, but was due to the fact that guerillas meted out instant justice to alleged witches. They executed witches on sight, cruelly, and in full view of other witches.

A story was told of a witch who had been requested to prepare food for the comrades. Now the witch loathed the idea of slaughtering her valuable chicken. Given her dominance in the witchcraft cartels, she saw no reason why mortals would cow her. She sprinkled poison on the food and took her food basket to the base. When all the food had been gathered, the comrade responsible for food logistics ordered all women who had brought the food to stand behind their food baskets. He further instructed them to eat a reasonable portion of their food ensuring that all vantage points of the food were tasted. They were also supposed to gulp the water they had brought to the satisfaction of the comrade, who moved from one basket to another sternly ensuring compliance with the order. When it was the turn for the witch to do the same; she refused profusely saying that she did not have an appetite. All hell broke loose. The guerillas made a bone fire, tied her hands behind her back, tied her legs, and stuffed her mouth with a cloth. She was slowly burnt to death, practically roasted like a pig. It was scenes like this that, even in the district of witches mentioned in Chapter 2, witchcraft almost disappeared. Witches did not destroy their weaponry (snakes, hyenas, flying objects, witchcraft birds, goblins, etc). They just hid them knowing that after the war; they would resume their “trade”.

Surely when independence finally came, folks celebrated for different reasons. Some were overjoyed by the emancipation from oppression; some eyed their ancestral lands and others anticipated the extension of the horizon of opportunities in education, jobs, business, and health. But witches certainly celebrated their return to darkness.

  

First son

Though my father’s first marriage had not been successful, the marriage was blessed with two daughters. He later married my mother and was blessed with more daughters, five in total. Daughters, especially during my father time, were very important members of the family contrary to common belief. A household with well-mannered daughters was guarantee of wealth. Contemporary ladies might feel demeaned by this statement, but this was the reality then.

A well-mannered daughter married to a wealthy family brought not less than ten head of cattle, with an additional fat cow being slaughtered for festivities in honor of the mother of a virgin bride. Thus the poverty cycle was truly broken down by a daughter married to a wealthy family.

The challenge was to ensure that one’s daughter was well- behaved. Coupled with physical beauty, she could probably be married to a prince. One impoverished old man had his stunning daughter married to a wealthy man in the land and he said: “All my poverty has ended.” He was prophetic, for within a short period of time the son-in law had literally pulled all his in-laws from the jaws of poverty to the crest of opulence.

Thus it was not only physical beauty that was celebrated in many communities, and I think this also applies to modern societies across the globe. Marrying a beautiful woman of questionable integrity precipitated the downfall of many men. In my culture there is a saying that: “Marrying a beautiful woman of loose morals is like growing corn close to the main road, for the fruits of your endeavor shall be few and far between.” There were some exceptions though, in that, if a poor man had found out that a certain wealthy man was having an adulterous relationship with his beautiful wife of loose morals, he could demand a hefty compensation from the perpetrator, thus escaping poverty in the process. However, accepting compensation for an adulterous wife is often not a good idea. Those gullible businessmen and professionals in our story of The Rich Man and Wife of a Chewa experienced the disastrous consequences of accepting this form of compensation. Mortals cannot adequately compensate one’s loss of dignity, as they cannot accurately quantify the loss or damage. Only God can adequately compensate the aggrieved people according to His will and in His due time. 

My father with a kraal-full of cattle and daughters only, gave witches false hopes of benefiting from his departure from earth. They made several serious attempts on his life over a period of time, but it became menacing after the birth of the first son. This was a very difficult time for my mother as both father and son became very sick, afflicted with unexplainable illnesses. It was very curious to notice that when close relatives visited the bedridden, their conditions deteriorated dramatically. In the absence of their visits, the infant showed signs of great recovery. This situation persisted until the sisters at a hospital in the nearby city gave a moratorium on all visits by close relatives.  Their bold step saved my father and brother.

The birth of the first son was therefore a showstopper. The “logical” thing for witches was to eliminate the son. Actually, it could be inferred that there was an evil link between the earlier massacre of my uncles and later, the attempted elimination of the first son and my father. After this ordeal, suspected witches watched with great disappointment, the births of other five sons, including my younger brother who passed on when he was a toddler.

The possibility of benefiting from the wealth inherited from VaMaduda diminished with the birth of each son. They therefore loathed this. They sometimes uttered unimagined words to my mother “jokingly” like in this incident when a witch asked, “When are you going to stop giving birth?” suggesting that she had many children. Underneath this question was a sense of defeat and great anger. Witches had positioned themselves for a bountiful inheritance. My father’s daughters were likely to be overpowered, given that in those days inheritance laws were not sympathetic to women, and witches were well aware of this.

These were not people from faraway places, but close relatives working in cahoots with family friends and taking advantage of their uninterrupted access to our compound. External enemies abound, but their impact on someone is limited. We reiterate the assertion that in the majority of cases, witchcraft has minimum impact on strangers. None other than one of His disciples betrayed the Son of Man.

What normally transpires is that close relatives will awaken the bad spirits or bad luck, which in essence is like opening the “security gates” for enemies to harm the victim. You will realize that even at work no one is comfortable around you. It is as if they are seeing a despicable thing. Strangers are therefore in a position to finish off because of the bad luck being churned out by close relatives. It should be understood in this context. I’m not inferring that strangers cannot harm someone. They can cause fatal harm. Their success rate, however, appears to be highly dependent on the evil workings of witches nestled within the family. This applies to close friends and associates as well.

Struggle of spirituality

I had a traumatizing experience in the African way of living. There was a traditional function at my cousin’s place, and I accompanied my parents to the event. My cousin, like many other villagers, believed in old traditions of brewing appeasement beers, amongst other things. Though my father was an ardent Christian, it was unacceptable for him to boycott such gatherings.

The heavy drumbeat accompanied by melodies and ululations of village women brought the sleepy environment into life, heralding the beginning of the function. My cousin’s son sprang from where he was sitting, practically buried in black and white robes. Grabbing a walking stick, he charged like a rhinoceros towards where I was playing with other children. He was restrained before he could harm me. He uttered, “The son of a witch…today I will finish you…”

Sometime later, I had a serious conversation with my mother regarding our relative’s tantrum.

“What could that possibly mean?” I asked her.

“You see; your cousins are accusing your father of witchcraft.”

“But that’s untrue. Look, my father is a reverend, besides he does not partake in these things,” I protested.

“Of course I know that, but the problem is that there is a raging struggle between traditionalists and Christians. Your father is a Christian and some of our relatives, who still believe in Mashavi (demons), are definitely not happy.”

“My cousin’s son cannot be a spirit medium because he is not of our ancestral lineage,” I persisted with anger, recalling what the elders had told us about the work of the spirits and spirit mediums. My cousin was the son of my father’s only surviving sister. His father, who was a miner at the nearby asbestos mines, disappeared after he was born. My grandparents took care of him, and obtained the requisite identification documents. He had three sons including the one who had charged at me at the family gathering.

“Forget about the spirit mediums and ancestral spirits of yesteryear, nowadays anyone can claim to be possessed by the spirits. There is a huge difference between ancestral spirits and demons,” she said after a long silence.

“And what is it?”

“You are too young to understand these things.”

“But I know that my father does not practice witchcraft, for he hates it and is a victim of witchcraft.” I said.

As I reflect on this and other conversations, I can assert confidently that there is indeed a huge difference between demons and the spirits of Matobo. Demons, as highlighted earlier, are evil spirits wandering on earth and its surrounds, and their origins can only be attributable to hell. Ancestral spirits can be traced to a particular people. The spirits of Matobo gave way to Christianity, for in my view there was no quarrel between the two. The nuns (Mbonga) at Matobo became nuns in Catholicism. Many Shona communities did not find Christianity incomprehensible because what Christianity advocated was already practiced. The purity of the heart was a celebrated virtue. Witchcraft was restrained not only by witch-hunters, but also crucially through the work of spirit mediums.The emissaries to Matobo Hills were people of honor and integrity. Imposters never returned. Kings and chiefs were installed by the spirits and not by humans because mortals are blind. What appeals to humans is likely to be wrong, since lack of wisdom is our major weakness. Without checks and balances, the people whom we entrust with positions of power become enemies of the people. Their true colors are revealed, when they are now presiding over pots full of gold.  Courage means protecting and standing for the vulnerable and not pampering the strongest in society. To me, there was and continues to be no conflict between Unhu/Ubuntu (the essence of humanity) and Christianity, but a real conflict exists between demons and Christianity because demons represent darkness and Christianity is the light.

If we knew

I woke up one morning and noticed that my father was not at home. On enquiring from mother, I was told that he and other prominent communal farmers had travelled to a distant place to be allocated new farming land. I was not enthusiastic about the idea, fearing the possibility of repeating my grade or miss school completely, since new resettlement areas rarely had developed infrastructure, including schools. When my father returned home after a week and brought the news that he was unsuccessful on account of old age, the whole family was overjoyed, much to his puzzlement.

He listened to our arguments against the idea of relocation, but he was naturally convinced that he was on the right path. Had we known about the dynamics of witchcraft, we should have urged him to persevere because moving away from your own ameliorates the impact of witchcraft. His friend, the one who survived the liberation war fighters’ gallows, managed to secure a plot though they were of the same age. He lived until advanced age. When one is in a place full of strangers, he will be somehow better off because it is known that witchcraft has a greater impact on close relatives. Exceptions can, however, be noticed in the story of the beautiful woman who threatened toddlers with extinction. Many resettlement areas were designed like urban areas in that houses were too close to each other. This became a tragic trap for many, particularly children. It was, however, noticeable that while houses were close to each other in the high-density suburbs, prevalence of witchcraft there was significantly lower.

There are several theories postulated as to why this was the case in my country. One of the widely accepted theories is that Chewas or people of foreign origin populated many urban areas. Witches are known to be scared of foreigners. With no adequate background information about their intended victims, many witches found their match, and many, indeed, perished. Since foreigners were coming from different cultural backgrounds, some of them had powers to drive nails into heads of witches like in the story of Bongwe. He originally came from a faraway land and settled in our village. The rich man lost his mental faculties after taking a Chewa’s wife. The young beautiful woman, caught naked in a well in the urban overspill, was likely to have been trapped by the medicinal prowess of a Chewa.

It was also believed that there were physical barriers in urban areas that scared away witchcraft activities. These included the extensive presence of bright electric lights, greater numbers of white-skinned Europeans and the perfumes they sprayed on their bodies, the smell of petroleum products, and motor vehicle exhaust fumes, amongst others. While this could have been the case then, the reality is that the situation has changed. Let me reiterate the fact that witchcraft mutates and is now prevailing even in the affluent suburbs of Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been exported to the major capitals of the world.

Bewitchment at a church gathering

In the late 1980’s my father got very sick. He complained of severe abdominal pains. During one night I thought he was going to pass on because he sweated profusely and groaned loudly. On enquiring about the source of his illness, we were told that he had consumed poisoned food at a church gathering. On further investigation, we also learnt that an active parishioner had delivered the poisoned food to my unsuspecting father. The same perpetrator was also rumored to have authored the demise of my aunt in order to assume total control of her husband and family. Indeed, when my aunt passed on in extremely suspicious circumstances, she swiftly moved in with my aunt’s husband.

As indicated earlier on, witchcraft is rife in the Church. A pastor eager to attract worshipers to his congregation will seek assistance from a witch doctor, and employ witchcraft to fulfill his agenda.  Vacant positions of archbishops and bishops attracted and continue to attract great competition in many parts of Africa. Aspiring candidates often use witchcraft to harm their competitors and/or to enhance their chances of being appointed.

Animals Bewitched

The wickedness of witches and their barbaric acts are not confined to harming humans only. The bewitchment of animals and even plants is a common occurrence in Sub-Saharan Africa. I recall when my father lost his cows in succession due to unexplainable causes. The animals did not show any symptoms of a disease, a fact that was later authenticated by a qualified and professionally trained veterinary doctor. They were all healthy and pregnant. His sheep, goats, and dogs were not spared either. We later learnt that the witch, who almost destroyed our livelihood, was not a poor peasant. Apparently, the witch was a well-off but dangerously competitive individual desirous of being on top of each and every human endeavour.

His short illness and passing on (July 2005)

My father passed on in extremely suspicious circumstances after a short illness. I left him in good health when I visited my uncle and brother in a nearby city. He had even cycled for some distance to attend a close relative’s funeral. When the person who delivered the sad news simply said, “Father is dead”. I replied him, “I’m very sorry”. I thought he meant that his father, who by then was quite old, had passed on. He realized that I was not decoding the news and became clearer, “I mean your father!” It was at that moment that it became clear that my father had indeed left us.

What became even more suspicious was that everything was arranged in haste. From the burial to the memorial service (Manyaradzo), everything was being fast-tracked. It appeared as if by the time of his death a close relative had already bought a coffin.

I was grateful to him, when he announced pompously that he would pay for the funeral expenses, including the acquisition of a coffin. Usually in the rural areas, where funeral insurance and burial societies are not prevalent, death is a shared burden. It was from this understanding that I didn’t suspect anything untoward when our close relative single-handedly sponsored the funeral.

As the green grass nourishes the sheep, so is the spirit of Jesus Christ to our souls

Confession

In my culture there are cases, where murdering a person either through witchcraft or otherwise, would result in untold suffering of the perpetrator. The spirit of the deceased will seek and administer justice. When the people who murdered my father were facing the music, they didn’t hesitate to offer an apology for their wrongdoing. They thought doing so would bring respite to their suffering. They confessed that they were responsible for his death. We could have taken them to court if the criminal justice system had legislative provisions for such crimes.  It was through their confession that I personally realized that witches are indeed wicked and thrive on lies and deception. The people who murdered my father were not strangers. They were his kith and kin. Witchcraft, as mentioned previously, has a greater impact on close relatives - people of the same blood. There are many theories as to how this works, but it is believed that for a witch to successfully murder an individual, some sort of spiritual approval needs to be granted by ancestors (presumably the bad ones) of the victim. It’s apparent that a close relative who is a witch will easily get such an approval.  It is said that a witch, when requesting the soul of the victim, would actually claim that it wants to administer some form of life-saving medicine. As I reflect today on my father’s life and death, there is one theme that constantly pops up, and I will not hesitate to repeat that, “the most deadly witch is that closest to you.” He who visits you when you are bedridden, who is quick to offer help, and pretends to care is the one who poses the greatest danger. I’m by no means encouraging paranoia, whereby people become distrustful of their close relatives, associates, friends, and neighbours. It’s far from that, but I’m highlighting the fundamental aspect of witchcraft.

It’s therefore wrong for one to only assume or think that a stranger, whom he has just argued with, causes his problems. You will need to open your eyes and become objective and wary of people’s moves. Why would someone give you a lot of money? Are they kind? If so, why don’t they sponsor a charity or other very needy people? Why would someone just come from nowhere and offer to sponsor a funeral? Why would someone hurriedly organise a funeral without even consulting the children of the deceased? Why would someone voluntarily collect and disappear with cash contributions (Chema) paid by the mourners? Why would one want to take centre stage at one’s funeral and pretend to be caring? As a reader residing in Sub-Saharan Africa, if you once came across a chap behaving in this manner, there is a greater possibility that he was the very person responsible for the deceased’s demise.       

                           

Some readers may ask, “How then can we protect ourselves, when people whom we confide in are the ones who plot our downfall?” I would suggest that one conducts an extensive and exhaustive due diligence when dealing with relatives and friends. A relative is a natural gift from the Almighty, how can we choose things that come naturally? I am sure some readers of this book will protest along the same lines. Of course, you can choose relatives. Did God say you should not defend yourself when faced with imminent danger? In fact, the Bible is full of people who got God’s full protection from evildoers by simply having faith in Him. Knowing one’s enemies is of paramount importance, for many don’t know who will harm them. Due diligence is feasible and therefore recommended even on close relatives. The good ancestors shall never be angry because you have snubbed he who is eager to see your downfall, but the bad ancestors shall be angry because their actions are irrational. They are no less than demons, and they should be cast away and away they shall be cast!

The human eye would in many instances miss the details. People do change as friendship progresses. The truth is that at one point in life, one would have seen the signs. A friend who does not show authentic happiness for your achievements is not worth to be called a friend. A relative who derives great joy from helping you is the most dangerous. Everyone wants to be assisted, but people should be helped to help themselves. A relative, who pays your school fees, with no strings attached, is sincere because tomorrow you shall be able to help yourself and become independent.

Even at national level this is a subject of great debate. Contrary to popular view, debt forgiveness, though laudable, will not make Sub-Saharan Africa thrive economically. Allowing Africa to process her own natural resources and determine the prices of her products will go a long way in alleviating poverty. Encouraging and facilitating African countries to trade amongst themselves is a sure way of raising their incomes. Africa is not faraway from trade routes because if that was the case, then we shouldn’t have the problem of rampant exploitation of natural resources without due regard to the environment, communities, and sacred shrines. So, like in witchcraft, people should analyse and see if what they call help is actually real help. In most cases it’s not!

Being suspicious is highly recommended when dealing with witches. When people perform dubious activities like unreasonable and persistent slaughter of valuable family cattle, brewing appeasement beers, amongst others, one should realize that a relative is astray and potentially lethal. Isolating such relative at this juncture is a sure way of avoiding the trap. There is no doubt that witches will continue in their quest to inflict harm on their victims, even when one relocates to the farthest end of the globe. Witches and demons will never rest until their mission is fulfilled, as was the case in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He prevailed over them. Death is part of life, but murder ought to be punished and punishment shall come one day as you reap what you sow!

My father’s ordeal started during his childhood until his death.  God showed His power by protecting His servant, even in the face of calamities. His jealous enemies desired to dominate and were eager to destroy. However, irrespective of their callous behaviour, he survived their machinations until they eventually succeeded in taking his life, some years later. He was unable to see many of his grandchildren, and to give guidance to people who nurse demons, in complete contrast to what he stood for. Solace is found in the fact that he made a commendable progress in educating his children, thus strengthening their resilience in tackling poverty-induced challenges.

A community leader par excellence

Prior to his death my father had actively participated in the development of Sarikayi communal land. For decades, as a representative of the farming co-operative, he ensured that marginalized and vulnerable members of the community were able to deliver their produce to the Grain Marketing Board. They were able to receive their cash payouts in the village instead of travelling to the city, thus saving them time and money. They were also spared the agony of losing their hard-earned money to the trickery and muggings, ills that were prevalent in the urban centres then. His duties, as a religious leader, involved presiding over many funerals in Sarikayi.  His service to the community culminated in being appointed Chief Mutema, the highest community leadership role in Mutema chieftainship.

In the African culture, the highest community leadership positions are reserved for elders, who, because of their age and experience, had acquired wisdom. However, a leader does not rule alone or according to what he deems fit. The council of elders provide wise counsel to whom the spirits have entrusted with leadership.

VaChisvinga, the reigning Chief Mutema, increasingly found it difficult to execute his duties because of old age. Thus, he followed the advice of the council of elders, and sought out a reputable son of the soil, who would carry out the responsibilities of a chief. As per tradition, he approached my father’s elder brother, who was the oldest son in the royal family lineage. However his performance was dismal. He failed miserably to articulate issues discussed at the council of elders’ meetings. VaChisvinga was especially angered when our uncle gradually became a mouthpiece of his wicked wife. VaChisvinga banished him from his court, for according to him our uncle was a shameful and dangerous viper waiting for an opportunity to strike.

My father was then chosen to take over the administration of the community. Later, VaChisvinga passed on, and my father became Chief Mutema for a further period of two years in accordance with the culture and local government legislation. His performance at the helm of Mutema chieftainship was flawless. Sensitive to the commoners’ plight, he never demanded rewards for performing his roles as compared to the chieftainships of nowadays. He was always a man of the people, for according to the African culture a leader can only be called a leader when he puts the interests of his followers first than focussing on his stomach and wellbeing.

Concluding Remarks & Remedies 

As a mature African residing in Sub-Saharan Africa, I’m more than convinced that witchcraft does not only exist, but has led to the loss of innumerable precious lives. The fact that governments across the continent, except very few like in the Central Africa Republic, continue to wish the problem away is disheartening. I’m, however, positive that through this book and the work of other authors, this particular conversation on witchcraft shall be sustained. It shall be a conversation informed by objective assessment of reality on the ground, rather than how we want the world to perceive us. Parliamentary representatives shall carry deliberations and resolutions at community level to the legislature.

Resultant legislation shall save societies from this scourge once and for all. Mob justice and medieval interventions are not options given our current stage of human development. However, if governments continue to pay lip service to this issue, there is a reasonable basis to believe that witchcraft will lead to the next revolutions. Already, massacres of elderly women suspected of practicing witchcraft have often been in the form of localized uprisings. Empowered communities are emancipated communities. If witches torment them, as is currently the case, then governments are failing them. To those with deep scars of witchcraft, draw your comfort from the knowledge that you are not alone. Rejoice in the fact that the issue shall be discussed in the highest corridors of governance. Our efforts are envisaged to stimulate stiff resistance from others who may think differently, but we encourage them to base their debate on investigations on the ground and not on far-fetched analysis and condemnation by nameless analysts. Many families in Sub-Saharan Africa were and continue to be affected. There could be differences in the nature of witchcraft, but the bottom line is that communities are at the mercy of witches.

All our endeavors to seek wisdom and justice should be guided by the power of the Almighty. How angry would the Almighty be if His people are worshipping snakes? How can this continent see peace and prosperity when we commit evil to this extent? Let God forgive Africa and all its transgressions. We pray that He blesses us with His wisdom to tackle this wickedness. We humbly request the guidance and presence of the Holy Spirit in our conversations and resolutions made thereof. We also call upon the spirit of Africaness: Unhu/Ubuntu to guide us in our future contemplations. Some of our forebears could have been involved in these things, which have now permeated societies to the core. We call upon the good ancestors, the ones who guided communities during upheavals to prevail in our search for solutions. Their holiness is much required at this crucial stage of our lives. To the witches of Sub-Saharan Africa, your wickedness is well documented. We warn you that as surely as the sun will rise and set, your Day of Judgment shall come. Try by all means possible to relinquish these demons, seek light, and save your countrymen from agony and extinction.

Society at large requires a serious paradigm shift. Currently, it gravitates towards hypocrisy. Wicked men and women are rewarded. People who question the status quo are not only vilified, but also condemned. It appears deceit is preferred rather than the truth. Witches have discovered these societal weaknesses, and are taking full advantage by nestling in society itself and decimating populations with impunity. They seem to be protected by society’s inaction and lack of a bold resolve to confront their wickedness. As a solution to this tragedy, we recommend that there be structures, processes, systems, and action-oriented approaches of transparently rewarding good behavior. In addition, severe punishment of bad behavior is highly recommended.

It is therefore fair to submit that one of the potent forces strangling African development is witchcraft. This activity has now manifested itself in every aspect of African life; love life, sport, at school and the workplace, in the Church, in rural and urban areas, and in politics, while in the process creating a powerful pull-back force which paralyzes the region’s economic developmental initiatives. Let the children of Africa ponder over the issues raised in this book, and chart their own destiny. Outside help is greatly appreciated as long as it is help for us to help ourselves! An African is not considered to be a black person of Sub-Saharan Africa only, but anyone who has decided to call Africa home. It transcends to even those residing in the other parts of the world who strive to see Africa escaping poverty. They humbly submit to indigenous knowledge systems instead of disparaging them. They proffer advice based on empathy and not for self-benefit. We salute these sons and daughters of humanity wherever they are!

Copies of the book can be found in selected bookstores in Southern Africa. You can also order the book on the following website: www.sunet.co.za