Juju and Deadly Rituals at Town House: Dead Bird and Cat Faeces dumped at newly-appointed Harare Chamber Secretary’s office

HARARE – The morning sun had barely begun to cast its light over the grand facade of Harare’s Town House this past Tuesday when the routine of municipal governance was shattered by a sight that belonged more to a medieval legend than a modern administrative hub. For those arriving at the seat of the Harare City Council, the air was thick not just with the usual morning bustle, but with a palpable sense of dread.

At the designated parking bay of the newly-appointed Chamber Secretary, Warren Chiwawa, lay a grim tableau: a dead bird, its feathers ruffled in the dust, surrounded by a scattering of peanuts. It was a scene that immediately stopped council employees in their tracks. A short distance away, the situation took an even more repulsive turn. Smeared across the door of Mr Chiwawa’s office were cat faeces, a deliberate and stomach-turning act that many within the building interpreted as a clear message of malice.

For a city already grappling with allegations of systemic corruption and fierce internal power struggles, this discovery has added a chilling new dimension to the challenges facing its leadership. The use of suspected “juju” or ritualistic items in a professional environment is not merely a matter of superstition; it is a psychological weapon designed to intimidate and destabilise.

The Scene of the Incident

The discovery was made early on Tuesday morning as workers arrived for their shifts. The parking bay, clearly marked for the Chamber Secretary, was the only one targeted in this manner.

“I was shocked to see a dead bird and some peanuts inside Mr Chiwawa’s parking bay when I arrived at Town House on Monday morning,” a witness told reporters from H-Metro, who first broke the story. “It was the only bay that had such a thing. It was really frightening. I don’t know what is happening but things seem bad. As someone who was just passing by, I took a picture because I was so surprised.”

The atmosphere inside the building quickly turned from professional to paranoid as news of the items spread. The Chamber Secretary’s office, located within the heart of the building, became the centre of frantic whispers.

“People are shaken. These are not things you see every day, especially in a professional environment,” said one employee, who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation. The employee described a sense of unease that has lingered in the corridors long after the physical evidence was removed.

Neutralising the “Juju”

The task of clearing the items fell to a group of brave, albeit wary, council workers. In a move that highlights the deep-seated cultural beliefs that coexist with modern bureaucracy in Zimbabwe, the workers did not simply sweep the items away. They performed their own counter-ritual to ensure any perceived “curse” was broken.

“We sprinkled salt on the faeces, the dead bird and the peanuts before flushing them down a drain,” one of the workers involved in the clean-up explained. In many local traditions, salt is believed to have purifying properties, capable of neutralising the dark energy associated with juju rituals. Only after this ritual cleansing did the staff feel comfortable enough to return to their normal duties.

A Man in the Hot Seat

Mr Warren Chiwawa, a respected legal practitioner and advocate, was only recently confirmed as the substantive Chamber Secretary on February 2, 2026. His appointment, approved by the Local Government Board, came after a period of serving in an acting capacity. He had reportedly excelled in the interviews for the position, coming out on top against several other candidates.

The role of Chamber Secretary is one of the most powerful and sensitive positions within the Harare City Council. The office is responsible for providing legal advice to the council, managing its administrative functions, and ensuring that all proceedings are conducted according to the law. In a council that has been frequently accused of mismanagement and illegal dealings, the Chamber Secretary often finds themselves at the crossroads of conflicting interests.

Chiwawa himself did not shy away from addressing the incident when questioned. His response was one of weary concern.

“Someone has been performing black magic at my office and car park bay since last week,” he confirmed. “It is scary.”

His statement suggests that Tuesday’s discovery was not an isolated event, but rather the culmination of a week-long campaign of harassment. The fact that a senior official, trained in the rigours of the law, would describe the situation as “scary” speaks volumes about the intensity of the pressure being applied behind the scenes.

The Broader Context: A Toxic Environment

To understand why someone would resort to dumping cat faeces and dead birds at an office door, one must look at the broader context of the Harare City Council. For years, Town House has been a battleground for political and personal rivalries.

Recent reports have highlighted a “toxic” atmosphere within the council, driven by what critics describe as rampant corruption and a lack of transparency. Only months ago, activists were demanding the complete disbandment of the council, citing widespread graft and the failure to provide basic services like clean water.

The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has been vocal about the issues, recently accusing corrupt procurement officials of deliberately blocking payments for water treatment chemicals to create an “artificial” crisis that they could then exploit for financial gain. In such an environment, the appointment of a substantive Chamber Secretary—especially one with a strong legal background—might be seen as a threat to those who benefit from the status quo.

Historically, the position of Chamber Secretary has been a volatile one. Previous occupants and other top officials have faced suspensions, dismissals, and allegations of corruption. The dismissal of officials like the former finance director, Tendai Kwenda, and the ongoing legal battles involving Mayor Jacob Mafume, who has faced his own share of corruption allegations, underscore the high stakes involved in municipal governance.

The Weaponisation of Tradition

The incident at Town House is not an isolated case of ritualistic items being used as a form of political or administrative protest in Zimbabwe. In December 2025, similar items were discovered outside the Parliament building, leading to a mix of public mockery and genuine concern.

While many in the urban elite might dismiss these acts as mere superstition, their power lies in their ability to tap into deep-seated cultural fears. In the context of a power struggle, juju is often used when conventional methods of influence—such as lobbying or legal challenges—are deemed insufficient or too slow. It is a way of “marking” a target, signaling to them and everyone around them that they are being watched by forces that operate outside the visible realm.

The psychological impact on the workforce cannot be overstated. When employees see their leaders being targeted by such “dark arts,” it creates a sense of instability. It suggests that the rules of the game have changed, and that merit and legality are no longer the only factors at play.

Lingering Questions and a City in Limbo

As the talk of Town House continues to revolve around the dead bird and the peanuts, several questions remain unanswered. Who has the access and the motive to perform such acts in a supposedly secure building? Why was Mr Chiwawa targeted specifically now, so soon after his substantive appointment?

Some speculate that the rituals are the work of disgruntled former employees or rivals within the council who were overlooked for the position. Others believe it may be a warning from those involved in the various corruption scandals currently being investigated, intended to discourage the new Chamber Secretary from “digging too deep” into the council’s legal and administrative records.

Whatever the truth, the incident has left a lingering sense of unease. The corridors of Town House, which should be filled with the sounds of policy debate and service delivery planning, are instead filled with whispers of black magic and betrayal.

For the residents of Harare, who continue to suffer from dry taps and uncollected refuse, the drama at Town House is a distracting and disheartening spectacle. It serves as a reminder that until the “toxic” culture of the city’s leadership is addressed, the ghosts of the past will continue to haunt its future.

For now, Warren Chiwawa remains in his post, a man of the law facing an unconventional challenge. Whether he can navigate these murky waters and restore a sense of order to the Chamber Secretary’s office remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: in the high-stakes world of Harare’s municipal politics, the battle for control is being fought on more than one plane.

The items may have been flushed down the drain, and the salt may have been swept away, but the shadows over Town House are far from gone. As one worker aptly put it, “the story might not be over yet.”

Investigative Commentary: The Culture of Fear

As a journalist who has covered the ebbs and flows of Zimbabwean politics for decades, the incident at Town House is a classic example of what happens when institutional trust breaks down. When the formal systems of accountability—the courts, the commissions, the police—are seen as compromised or ineffective, people revert to older, more primal forms of power.

The use of juju in this context is a symptom of a deeper malaise. It is the language of the unheard and the desperate, but also the weapon of the bully. It thrives in the shadows of corruption, where the line between right and wrong has been blurred by years of self-interest and political patronage.

The challenge for Mr Chiwawa, and indeed for all those who still believe in the possibility of a clean and functional Harare, is to not be distracted by the theatre of the macabre. The dead bird and the cat faeces are distractions. The real “dark magic” at Town House is the disappearance of millions of dollars in public funds, the dry taps in the suburbs, and the crumbling infrastructure of a once-great city.

Until those real demons are exorcised, no amount of salt will be enough to cleanse the halls of power in Harare.

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