Woman hired to imitate witch

A SELF-STYLED Apostolic church prophet in Odzi did the unthinkable and resultantly sparked controversy when he hired a woman to strip and appear at a fellow villager’s doorstep, imitating the howling cries of a hyena.

The bizarre stunt was aimed at demonstrating the village clairvoyant’s alleged supernatural ability to apprehend a witch.

The matter came to light when Josephine Machada (26) appeared before Mutare magistrate Ivy Musavengana, facing charges of public indecency, as defined in Section 77 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).

Sharon Chibvongodze prosecuted.

According to the prosecutor, Machada went to Lazarus Mutambashora’s homestead in Village J1 of Chiwere Resettlement Area in Odzi around 4am wearing a “skintight” with a red loincloth wrapped around her waist.

Machada, who was allegedly holding a goat horn covered with black fur, began howling like a hyena.

The court heard that Mutambashora opened his bedroom door to investigate the source of the hyena-like sounds. That was when he saw the half-naked Machada holding the goat horn.

Mutambashora reported the matter to the police, who reacted swiftly and arrested Machada.

Machada, from Chaibva area in Mutungagore village, under Chief Makoni, in her submission to the court, stated that she had been instructed by Madzibaba Lai (Lionel Mundopa) to go to Mutambashora’s homestead in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

Musavengana ruled that the court would use the Mental Health Act in assessing Machada’s mental state and ascertain her level of normalcy.

The Act is designed to balance individual rights with the need to protect society. It provides guidelines for the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with mental health issues.

In essence, the court wants to assess Machada’s level of normalcy, thereby decide whether she was in control of her faculties when she allegedly committed the offence.

This evaluation will help the court to determine the best course of action and ensure that Machada’s rights are protected.

Further investigations into the matter by the police led to the arrest of the 25-year-old Mundopa, who was found in possession of a tortoise.

Mundopa, of SB Romsley Farm in Nyazura, also appeared before Mutare magistrate Perseverance Makala on charges relating to the contravention of the Wildlife Act, which deals with the control of hunting, removal of wildlife from one place to the other and the sale of live animals without a permit.

Talent Myamuziwa prosecuted.

Mundopa was subsequently found guilty and sentenced to four months’ imprisonment.

However, two months were suspended for one year on condition he does not commit a similar offence, while the other two months were also suspended on condition he performs community service at Nyamidzi Clinic in Odzi. — Manica Post

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Man loses wife to tenant

A man claims his marriage collapsed after his ex-tenant impregnated his wife and took her away.

Shepherd Ngangarucheche dragged Simon Judah to the Harare Civil Court.

“I served Judah with a notice to vacate my house after I suspected that he was having an affair with my wife,” he said.

“Not only did he vacate my house, but he vacated the premises together with my wife.

“I lost my marriage because of him. Everything I worked for is gone. He impregnated my wife despite knowing that she is married to me.”

Shepherd claimed Judah was now stalking him.

“Each time we meet, he starts insulting me, asking me why I evicted him from my house. Judah is not even remorseful for taking my wife; he is threatening me every time. I want my peace of mind; he should stop threatening and insulting me,” he said.

He added: “As a man, I cannot tolerate my wife’s boyfriend; he should stay away from me. I now fear for my life and he should respect me also.

“When I allowed him to stay at my house, I never imagined that he was going to take my wife from me. Judah is accusing me of telling people that he is the one who bewitched my other child.”

Simon did not deny the allegations and promised to comply with the court order.

“I will stop harassing him, but he should also stop his habit of poking his nose in my business. I did not bewitch his child.”

Magistrate Meenal Naratom granted Shepherd a protection order. — Bulawayo Bureau

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Teacher, cop fight over paternity of nurse’s child

Drama erupted at a court in Lusaka, Zambia, when two men physically fought, each claiming to be the father of a two-year-old child.

The child’s mother is aged 26.

Ronald Mwanza (31), a teacher, and Wezi Lungu (30) a police officer, lost control of their emotions when the court ordered a DNA test to determine the child’s biological father.

Following the ruling, both men demanded custody of the child, claiming the DNA test was unnecessary.

Outside the courtroom, they engaged in a physical altercation, drawing the attention of others at the court. They were eventually asked to leave the premises by a court clerk.

The woman at the centre of the paternity dispute is Royce Mutale, a nurse. Mwanza had sued Mutale for reconciliation regarding the child’s paternity.

Mwanza explained that three years earlier, Mutale, then his girlfriend, informed him that she was pregnant with his child. A few weeks later, her relatives brought her to his home so that he could care for her during the pregnancy.

“I lived with Royce from her second month of pregnancy until she gave birth,” Mwanza said.

“But after the birth, this man (Lungu) started claiming the child was his, not mine. We used to fight whenever we met.”

Lungu also asserted that Mutale had come to his house and told him she was carrying his child.

After hearing both men’s accounts, the magistrate asked Mutale to identify the child’s father. Hesitant at first, Mutale eventually pointed to Lungu.

“Lungu is the father of the child. Yes, I was sleeping with both of them, but I think Lungu is the father.

“I told them both that I was pregnant because I love them both and I want them to marry me,” she said with her statement eliciting laughter in the courtroom. — Wires