Fake spirit mediums should

26 Oct, 2014 - 06:10 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Calls have been made for authorities to arrest and prosecute people who are falsely claiming to be possessed by the spirit of the legendary Mbuya Nehanda.

The calls are being made at a time when Eunice Mushakwe, a 50-year-old Chirumanzu villager, is alleging that she is possessed by the spirit of the revolutionary prophetess and leader of the First Chimurenga.

Up to eight people have so far claimed to be possessed by the spirit of the 19th century spirit medium who was hanged by British colonial authorities after she was wrongly accused of murdering a brutal white native commissioner Henry Hawkins Pollard.

Sekuru Friday Chisanyu, a traditional healer and founding president of the Zimbabwe National Practitioners’ Association, dismissed those claiming to be possessed by Mbuya Nehanda’s spirit as “con artists.”

The traditionalist said not a single person claiming to be possessed by the spirit has proved “beyond reasonable doubt” that the spirit of the iconic prophet is within that person.

“One cannot simply wake up and claim that he or she is possessed by Mbuya Nehanda’s spirit.

The person who will be possessed must be able to pass a certain test. That person should reveal such secrets as to where the spirit medium resided and where her personal belongings are kept, among other secrets,” Sekuru Chisanyu said.

According to Sekuru Chisanyu the majority of the people that have claimed to have been possessed with Mbuya Nehanda spirit failed the test, resulting in their mysterious deaths.

“We have had cases of people that died mysteriously soon after claiming that they were possessed by the spirit. Others wandered across the country, never to be seen again.

“The problem we are facing is that people are now studying history and then deliberately distorting facts.

“Such people must be severely punished,” Sekuru Chisanyu said.

According to the traditional healer, two women, one from Karoi and the other one from Mazowe, died mysteriously after making sensational claims about the spirit medium.

Headman Magogodla (Paul Magogodla) of Nyangari Village in Chirumanzu, questioned the credibility of Mushakwe’s claims.

“She is claiming to be possessed by the spirit, but as far as I know, she is not. For one to be possessed by the spirit medium, that person must pass a certain test. That person must be able to reveal previously unknown secrets about Mbuya Nehanda,” Headman Magogodla said.

Another traditional healer, Mbuya Masumbuko, said the person who will be possessed by the spirit must be a virgin.

“Mbuya Nehanda is often referred to as Nyakasikana, meaning a virgin girl.

“Those possessed by her spirit are always virgins who will never marry,” Mbuya Masumbuko said.

Mushakwe is married with five children.

Traditional healers attributed the rise in the number of people claiming to be possessed with the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda to greed.

In 2010, a self- proclaimed traditional healer and spirit medium, Rotina Mavhunga, was jailed for defrauding and misleading senior Government officials into believing that diesel was oozing out of a rock in Maningwa Hills in Chinhoyi.

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds