Madzimai tears couple apart

Madzimai Clara (left) and Lucia Kachikombe

A SHOCKING tale of deceit, manipulation and alleged witchcraft has left a young couple from Mutasa in ruins after a local prophetess allegedly claimed that the wife is possessed with an evil spirit and was responsible for her mother-in-law’s death. The prophetess also claimed that the young woman was plotting to kill her sister-in-law using stolen underwear.

Chief Mutasa presided over the matter recently where a distraught Lucia Kachikombe, of Zengeni Village, claimed that her marriage to Tawanda Machiwana collapsed after he was influenced and manipulated by Madzimai Clara, a self-claimed prophetess from a local apostolic sect.

Kachikombe said her ordeal began when her sister-in-law consulted Madzimai Clara..

“I got married into the Machiwana family in January last year. Everything was fine until my sister-in-law started consulting the prophetess. One day she returned, and said the prophetess wanted to see me. I agreed, and went to see her. The woman told me that I had an evil spirit, and that I was a witch,” she said, adding that the prophetess gave her prayers and spiritual instructions, demanding specific items for a cleansing ritual, including a red cloth.

The ritual was performed at a river, but the prophetess later claimed that the evil spirit had refused to leave Kachikombe’s body.

“My husband said he could not continue staying with a witch. They accused me of stealing my sister-in-law’s panties to bewitch her. That is how my marriage collapsed,” she said.

Her mother, Emma Musere, corroborated her daughter’s account, arguing that she too was summoned to the shrine, and told the same thing by Madzimai Clara. The family is now seeking justice and clarity in the face of these damaging allegations.

“She told me that my daughter was possessed by an evil spirit, and that it had been passed onto her by her aunt. At that time, my daughter was pregnant and Madzimai Clara said the child would not survive. She said both the child and my daughter’s husband would die if the spirit was not removed. I was so scared for my daughter’s life,” said Musere.

Despite these ominous claims, Kachikombe successfully gave birth to a healthy baby and husband did not die.

Kachikombe’s husband, Tawanda Machiwana, appeared torn in court.

While he confirmed that Madzimai Clara had made the claims about his wife’s spiritual condition, he denied believing she was a witch.

“I never called her a witch myself. But yes, it is true that Madzimai Clara made the accusations. My family acted on that and I was pressured to send my wife packing. However, we are back together, but the whole family has thrown us out,” he said.

His elder brother, Zvichawei Machiwana, also testified in court, saying the family was convinced of the prophetess’ powers after their mother died in unexplained circumstances.

“We were told that if Lucia did not miscarry, our mother would die. And sure enough, our mother suddenly collapsed and died. After that, we believed everything the prophetess said. We thought the death confirmed the prophecy,” said Zvichawei.

When confronted in court, Madzimai Clara denied ever accusing Kachikombe of witchcraft.

“I was with another prophetess, Madzimai Alice, who is not here today to testify. All I said was that Lucia had previously had a miscarriage and was at risk of another. I never labelled her a witch or mentioned any ritualistic practices. I told her to bring her parents so that we could help save her unborn baby. The fact that the child is alive and well proves that our mission was successful,” she said.

Madzibaba Chamunorwa, the interpreter of her prophecies and tongues, corroborated Madzimai Clara’s account.

“She was instructed to bring both her parents for assistance. When they arrived, it was revealed that her mother had an evil spirit following her. Later, we learnt that her mother-in-law had passed away, and Lucia was absent from the funeral. That is when people blamed her for the death,” he said.

However, Chief Mutasa sternly rebuked Madzimai Clara for sowing discord and division within the family.

“This case clearly demonstrates that you are being manipulated by Madzimai Clara. She is exploiting your lives. You have abandoned your daughter-in-law based on fear and superstition,” said Chief Mutasa, further cautioning families against blindly trusting self-proclaimed spiritualists, particularly when their advice leads to broken homes and strained family relationships.

He advised the family to consult at least three different traditional or spiritual healers to verify Madzimai Clara’s claims.

“If all the three confirm Lucia’s innocence, I instruct you to reunite Lucia and her husband and restore their marriage. Currently, you are acting on one woman’s word and the consequences are devastating,” said Chief Mutasa.