The Sunday News
Loveness Mpofu, Sunday News Reporter
A 77-year-old woman from Kezi last week hanged herself after she was allegedly accused of witchcraft by self-styled traditional healers commonly known as tsikamutandas who were on a cleansing ceremony following widespread reports of witchcraft in the area.
The elderly woman, identified as Mainha Tshuma (Gogo MaTshuma) of Lingwe under Chief Bidi was apparently instructed during a cleansing ceremony to surrender her white beads which she wore on the wrists and waist. Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident.
“We received a case of a woman who hanged herself in Chief Bidi’s area and investigations are underway. We advise members of the public to seek counselling when they are faced with difficult situations and not to take their lives,” he said.
Gogo MaTshuma was found hanging on a tree by her grandson, who decided to search for her after he could not locate her at home. The cleansing ceremony started in December last year and has been revolving around villages in Kezi, following complaints of goblins which were tormenting villagers.
Lingwe village head Mr Paul Ndlovu said: “Last week, we were gathered at the cleansing ceremony being conducted in our village, where Gogo MaTshuma was told to surrender her white beads to the traditional healers. She surrendered the beads and was told to return on the next day for further cleansing.
However, the next day she did not attend the ceremony and we later found out that she had committed suicide.”
According to Mr Ndlovu, her grandson told them that the following morning he prepared porridge for his grandmother and requested that they go together to the ceremony. However, Gogo MaTshuma told him to go alone, saying she was going to follow him after having breakfast. It is said that her grandson left for the ceremony and could not locate his grandmother during that session. He then returned home in the evening and quickly realised that she was not at home and the porridge had not been eaten. Mr Ndlovu said the boy then went in search of her together with a neighbour and they found her hanging from a tree nearby. -@lvydvy1
