Police destroy home on orders from spirit medium

Comment & Analysis
WHEN mystic Rotina Mavhunga, alias Sekuru Muboni, announced she had discovered pure diesel flowing from rocks in the sacred Chinhoyi caves, she became Zanu PF’s new best friend.

WHEN mystic Rotina Mavhunga, alias Sekuru Muboni, announced she had discovered pure diesel flowing from rocks in the sacred Chinhoyi caves, she became Zanu PF’s new best friend.

In no time she was being pampered like a true “African Queen”. She was allocated a farm, two head of cattle and three buffaloes, a car and received billions of Zimdollars for her upkeep.

The then desperate Zanu PF government thought her discovery would turn around the troubled economy.

However, she turned out to be a fraudster that left senior government ministers who included Security minister Didymus Mutasa, Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi, Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi and President Robert Mugabe with egg on their face.

Mugabe condemned his own ministers saying they were probably so blinded by her beauty that they endorsed her phony story.

Although the diesel fiasco is now an embarrassing story worth forgetting, the incident however exposed government’s blind faith in mysticism.

Now a resettled farmer at Manhenga farm near Lions Den in Chinhoyi was allegedly evicted and had his home burnt by uniformed police officers using a police vehicle wielding a pistol and baton sticks following instructions from a spirit medium.

Bvumai Bamu alleges that his maize and cotton crops which he had planted over an acre each were also destroyed by the superstitious law enforcement agencies.

The spirit medium in this case is Lina Govera alias Mbuya Nehanda.

Bamu with the help of his lawyer, Marufu Mandebele of Mbidzo, Muchadehama & Associates this week sent a letter of intention to the co-Home Affairs ministers and commissioner-general of police, officer in charge of Chinhoyi police station, director- general CIO and the President Office in Chinhoyi.

Bamu is demanding US$5 000 for damages for the destruction of his house, $15 000 for damages for the destruction of his crops and $200 000 for shock, pain and suffering. A 60-day ultimatum has been given to the police to respond before summons is issued if they fail to respond.

“Our client has not only lost his home, he has also lost his means of livelihood and has been driven into destitution by the acts of members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police acting at the instance of a spirit medium, which Chinhoyi never seems to run short of especially after the diesel n’anga exploits,” the letter said.

On January 7, Bamu –– who was resettled in 2000 -–– was allegedly “ambushed” by members of the ZRP while he was about to leave his homestead at Manhenga farm.

“The police details were in a marked Zimbabwe Republic Police service vehicle, a Mazda pick up truck. They ordered our client to load all his belongings into their truck before setting his house on fire,” the letter said.

Bamu and his pregnant wife were “unceremoniously” driven off their plot and dumped at a police road block near Ranfield farm along the Lomagundi Road. The police then instructed those manning the road block to assist Buma to get free transport to whatever destination he wished as long as it was not close to Manhenga Farm or Chinhoyi. Buma and his wife went to Dicks Farm situated between Karoi and Magunje where they sought refuge after his spouse went into labour.

He later went back to Manhenga farm in a bid to establish why he was evicted before he was charged by a local chief, Magonde.

“While there, he was advised that the matter for which he had been summoned earlier had been cleared. It had been alleged that that he had killed a baboon which was alleged to be a speaking baboon,” the letter said.

“Our client’s name has been cleared as the proper culprits had been found and convicted on their own guilty plea and ordered to pay a beast and a goat each. Coincidentally, as our client was advised it was because of these allegations against him that his home had been burnt by members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police who shockingly had acted on the instructions of a spirit medium known as Lina Govera, alias Mbuya Nehanda.”

Buma aggrieved by these developments approached Chinhoyi courts to seek redress and officials at the courts asked him to verify the names of the police officers involved from Chinhoyi police station as he said those who had burnt his house came from that station. On January 18 Buma approached Chinhoyi police station and asked to see the police officers who however expressed ignorance of the incident.

The letter added: “He (second in command) took our client to his superior who confirmed that the police at Chinhoyi had burnt our client’s house based on information supplied by the sprit medium, though the actual instruction had come from “Harare”.

“When our client explained that he had been absolved by the chief’s court of the allegations that had been raised against him, the police officers advised him to go back to the chief and ask the chief to mediate between him and the spirit medium. The chief undertook to address the matter but nothing is said to have happened as yet.”

 

Wongai Zhangazha