The Sunday News
Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
A MAN eyeing the throne to become a chief left Gokwe villagers shocked when he was caught naked at Chief Chireya’s homestead at midnight while trying to hang a dead cock at the gate in a suspected case of witchcraft.
Zingava Kabarapate, who is embroiled in a chieftainship wrangle with the incumbent Chief Chireya, allegedly hired a traditional healer from Chipinge to perform rituals at the chief’s homestead to “ensure that he dies and he becomes the leader.”
Kabarapate was allegedly advised by a traditional healer that he should take a live cock to the chief’s homestead and strangle it in his yard while naked so that the chief would die in his sleep.
It is understood that on 6 January and at midnight, Kabarapate went to Chief Chireya’s homestead, accompanied by the traditional healer, where he undressed and strangled the cock before performing the rituals.
However, luck ran out for Kabarapate when he was caught performing the rituals by the Chief’s security guard who was doing his routine checks at the homestead.
Chief Chireya confirmed the incident saying he hauled Kabarapate before his court and fined him four beasts for using sorcery and things associated with witchcraft.
“The incident happened on Saturday night when Kabarapate came to my homestead with a sangoma and strangled a cock before tying it by my gate. He then started performing the rituals naked while his sangoma, who is believed to be from Chipinge, was speaking in an alien language. He was then spotted by my security guard at around 12 midnight performing the rituals.
We then took him to the police but was, however, released without being charged and they advised us to try the matter in the chief’s traditional courts,” he said.
Added Chief Chireya: “I summoned him to my court and fined him four cattle for the offence.”
Chief Chireya said Kabarapate has been claiming that the chieftainship belongs to his family since his ancestors were former chiefs of the land regardless of him not being of the Chireya clan.
“This man came to us and told us that he was supposed to be the next chief, claiming his ancestors were former chiefs of the land. We are not related to this man and he does not belong to our clan,” he said.
@Munya_Musiiwa
