MUTASA – A man from the Mutasa area in Manicaland province, Richard Mashambi, finds himself at the centre of a storm of accusations after allegedly desecrating his younger brother’s grave during the burial proceedings. The disturbing incident has ignited long-held suspicions of ritual practices and family misfortunes, with Richard now being accused of being a ritualist.
The case, which has been brought before Chief Mutasa’s community court, has stirred a whirlwind of accusations and spiritual fear among family members, with some believing that the series of misfortunes afflicting the family are linked to Richard’s suspicious conduct.
According to his daughter, Melody, Richard was accused by prophetic healers at the burial of having collected a root from the deceased’s grave. “It was alleged that he collected a root from the grave and people seized him and searched him. That was when we found that he had a piece of paper and wet soil in his pocket. We however, did not find a root in his pockets as had been claimed. I asked him why he had the wet soil and the wet paper in his pocket. He explained that he had used it as a tissue when he relieved himself in the graveyard,” Melody told the court.
She added that despite his explanation, many relatives remained sceptical of his motives and suspected that he might have been involved in sinister ritualistic practices. “We asked him why he had done so in the graveyard and he said that he was pressed and could not find any other place to answer the call of nature,” Melody explained.
“People went to check if indeed he had relieved himself and they confirmed that he had. But we still have doubts of such behaviour. Why have wet soil in a paper in your pocket? The family then started to think that he had something to do with his brother’s death,” Melody told the court, highlighting the deep-seated unease within the family.
Another family member, Lucy Masaiti, added fuel to the allegations, citing unexplained health complications among the children in the family, many of whom have exhibited unusual behaviour and sudden illnesses over the years. Masaiti pointed out that Richard’s actions seemed to confirm the suspicions that have long hovered over him.
“My daughter sometimes falls to the ground and begins to shake as though she has epilepsy. But once she is on the ground, she starts speaking in another voice, saying that her late father’s brothers – Richard and Micah – killed him. She cries and calls for Richard by name, accusing him,” Masaiti revealed to the traditional court.
She further stated, “And it is not just my daughter – many children in the Mashambi family exhibit similar behaviour and a lot of them suffer from severe disabilities, unable to talk or walk.”
Masaiti believes that Richard’s actions at the graveyard confirmed long-standing suspicions of dark spiritual involvement. “When Richard did what he did at the graveyard, it became clear to all of us that he is behind the sicknesses and the deaths,” she asserted. She said the family had lived in fear, torn between loyalty and suspicion, as unexplained deaths and illnesses continued to plague them.
When asked to respond to the allegations before the traditional court, Richard admitted relieving himself at the graveyard, but vehemently denied performing any ritual or attempting to disturb his brother’s spirit. “I did relieve myself there, but it was not for some ritualistic purpose. I was really pressed. I did not kill anyone and I was not trying to stop my brother from avenging his death. These are just wild accusations. People are trying to make something spiritual out of a personal misfortune,” he said in his defence.
Despite his defence, Chief Mutasa ruled that Richard’s conduct was unacceptable and an insult to the African value system, which respects the dead and holds burial grounds as sacred. “It is unAfrican. You cannot do that. You cannot relieve yourself in front of people who are grieving. That is not how we honour the dead and it is not how we show respect to the family that is mourning. Whether or not it was a ritual, you have disturbed the spirit of the deceased. You have brought shame upon your family,” ruled Chief Mutasa.
The chief recommended that the family seek the counsel of a traditional healer to determine why there are many misfortunes in the family. The case remains a sensitive issue within the Mashambi family and the wider community, highlighting the complex interplay between traditional beliefs, spiritual fears, and the challenges of modern life. The incident has not only brought Richard Mashambi under intense scrutiny but has also opened up deeper questions about the causes of misfortune and the role of ritual in the lives of the people of Manicaland.
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