Lawyers, traditional leaders, villagers confer in Hurungwe over Tsikamutadas

Image: iHarare

Zimbabweans of different political & ideological persuasions are accessing & benefitting from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)’s legal services.

In Hurungwe, ZLHR held a mobile legal clinic, which was attended by traditional leaders & some villagers, to resolve a dispute over forced participation in traditional cleansing rituals conducted by a self-proclaimed witch-hunter commonly known as Tsikamutanda.

The traditional leaders accepted that citizens cannot be forced to be associated with what they do not believe in & therefore villagers & their families will not be forced to participate in traditional ceremonies which go against their religious convictions.

In Zimbabwe Tsikamutada practices are common and in some cases villagers have been conned of their hard earned belongings such as goats, sheep, or even cattle by these self proclaimed with hunters.

The Tsikamutadas claim that they have the power to remove bad omen on people and demand to be paid with livestock or money.

Apparently, in most cases villagers are forced to participate in such ceremonies as those who would ignore the practice are alleged to be witches.

Zwnews