This mysterious being is blamed for a number of drowning
accidents. According to residents from Gwanda Town the target of this creature
has of late become men that go to the river to bath.
Some think that the creature could be a mermaid while
others think otherwise saying its mannerisms do not fit those of a mermaid.
Some residents from the town working with some churches have decided to engage
the services of a prophet to unravel the mystery.
Efforts are underway to engage a Gwanda based prophet from
the Zion Apostolic Church in Central Africa, Prophet Mehluli Moyo who is known
for solving a number of mysteries in Matabeleland South Province, mostly in
Gwanda District.
Gogo Meltah Banda who is the Gwanda Zinatha treasurer said
the problem which was being experienced at Mtshabezi River started in the 1970s
with school pupils that were mysteriously drowning in the river.
“This problem has been ongoing for a long time now but it
has never been investigated. It started in the 1970s with male learners that
were mysteriously drowning in the river.
At that time pupils from Mount Cazalet Primary School which
is close to Mtshabezi River used to go there to collect water as the school
didn’t have water. While there, learners would claim to have seen a fish in the
water and then they will drown. We used to get these reports from other
learners who would survive the ordeal and then go back to school to inform
their teachers,” she said.
“Now it’s suspected that this creature is now targeting men
that will be bathing at the river. Each time someone drowns in the river there
are usually a series of funerals which follow which are recorded in the town.
It’s like that drowning incident would have sparked or ignited some evil spirit
which hovers around the town.”
Gogo Banda said what made the drowning cases suspicious was
that all victims were men. She said the river was not too deep which made it
difficult to understand how a grown-up man could drown while bathing close to
the edge of the river.
She said bodies of all the victims were later retrieved
which ruled out chances that the creature was a mermaid. She said there was
need to investigate the matter so that it could be resolved once and for all as
it was bothering residents.
“The way this creature operates is beyond my knowledge.
What we are used to are incidents where a person disappears in a river because
of an ancestral calling but a person doesn’t die. A ritual is conducted by the
family of the missing person and the person comes back to them alive.
In this particular case where people die mysteriously, I
also don’t know what kind of ancestral spirit operates in this way,” she said.
A Gwanda pastor from the Zion Apostolic Church in Central
Africa Michael Ndlovu said when he arrived in Gwanda in the 1980s, he found
residents complaining about mysterious deaths along the river. He said this
year about three people had mysteriously drowned in the river.
Pastor Ndlovu said they had resolved to invite a renowned
prophet from his church to look into the matter.
“There are men who are mostly gold panners from nearby
mines who go to take a bath along Mtshabezi River just close to Mtshabezi
Bridge. Other people go to the river to collect water or to wash their
vehicles. A number of them have fallen victim to this creature.
“We have therefore seen it best to engage someone to look
into the matter and see how best it can be resolved. We are working on
modalities to invite a prophet from my church who has helped a number of
communities to deal with their spiritual problems.
We have to go through the correct procedures and inform the
relevant authorities,” he said.
Prophet Moyo said he would visit the area and pray so that
the Holy Spirit would reveal whether it was an ancestral matter or an act of
witchcraft. He said from there he would be informed on how to proceed with the
matter.
Prophet Moyo said if it was an act of witchcraft then he
could remove the creature and if it was an ancestral issue then appropriate
people will be engaged to conduct a ritual to appease the ancestors. He said
from there a ritual will be expected to be conducted once a year with the
knowledge of the town’s leadership.
“What is puzzling is that even though people are aware that
place is dangerous and has claimed a number of lives they still go back knowing
the danger which may befall them.
Whatever is in the water could be luring people there in
order to take lives. If it’s an act of witchcraft it could be the doing of an
evil person who planted something in the water in order to gain wealth in
exchange for human lives,” he said.
“This mystery has never been investigated thoroughly. Every
time someone drowns people call for the matter to be investigated but after a
short time they relax. If given an opportunity I can get to the bottom of this
matter.”
Prophet Moyo said he once intervened in Halale Primary
School in Nathisa area in Kezi where goblins were terrorising teachers and
since he removed them, he had not received any complaints from the school.
He said he also assisted the community of Garanyemba where
he removed a big snake from a dam where people were mysteriously drowning.
Prophet Moyo said he recently assisted at Mtandawenema Primary School in Gwanda
where a baboon was terrorising teachers and learners. He said he had also
cleansed several homesteads in Gwanda. Chronicle
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