The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Correspondent
AT least 25 children in Acacia, Penhalonga, were reportedly initiated into a Satanic cult by a 22-year-old local woman.
The woman allegedly befriends the unsuspecting minors before luring them into the occult world. Last week, Acacia residents had sleepless nights after a 12-year-old girl fell into a trance and declared that she and 25 other children in the area had been initiated into Satanism by her neighbour (name withheld).
However, the young woman has vehemently denied the allegations, highlighting that she also experienced spiritual attacks at some point in her life.
As she was manifesting, the 12-year-old wriggled like a snake.
This came minutes after the minor had physically attacked her father who sought to restrain her from visiting their neighbour’s residence. The child’s father, (name withheld to protect the identity of the minor), confirmed his daughter’s weird behaviour.
“My child went to play at our neighbour’s house and when she came back, she was behaving weirdly. She was putting on different clothes from the ones she had gone wearing. When I asked our neighbour to return my daughter’s clothes, she refused to surrender them. I even visited our neighbour to collect the clothes, but I was told that she had soaked them. I demanded to be given the wet clothes,” said the troubled father.
“That night my daughter was making strange sounds. She was also telling us hard to believe stories of how she was now part of our neighbour’s Satanic cult. She claimed that our neighbour is the queen of the cult, while 25 other minors from our neighbourhood are the maids.
“She says during one of their meetings, our neighbour instructed her to kill me or one of her brothers,” said the father.
Meanwhile in the same neighbourhood, another spirit has also been manifesting on another minor and accusing the same lady of recruiting her into the cult. A third girl also manifested and killed a snake that had been seen in Acacia. However, the family could not allow The Manica Post to interview the minor, saying they feared recurrence of her manifestations if she is constantly reminded of the incident.
A traditional healer whose four children claim to have been initiated into the cult said she has been witnessing mysterious occurrences at her home.
“Just yesterday, a cat entered my child’s room. When we went to check on her, my daughter’s eyes were blazing like fire. I will never forget that image. I could not even lift her as she was so heavy.
“I was so scared and ran outside. My sister had to come in to assist,” she said, adding that her children have been cleansed by a local prophet.
A neighbour, Emilio Magaso, said the alleged Satanist is not new to controversy as her parents were constantly summoned to attend to her during her high school days at a nearby mission school.
“We long suspected that something fishy was happening in her life. She has a mermaid spirit,” said Magaso.
But in an interview with The Manica Post, the alleged Satanist denied ever initiating the minors into any cult.
“Honestly, look at me, I am 22 years old and I have a child. Why would I be friends with people who are 10 years younger than me? Most of these kids are not even teenagers and I do not even know them that much,” she said.
She, however, said she has been seeking prayers from a white garment prophet.
“I am actually coming from the prophet’s shrine. He told me that those spiritual attacks are not a result of Satanism, those attacks are from the children’s jealousy families. The attacks have nothing to do with me” she said.
“During my high school days, my family’s spirits also haunted me but a local madzibaba delivered me and I am now a devoted Christian. They need to take their children to the prophet for deliverance instead of blaming me,” she said. Zimbabwe National Healers’ Association (Zinatha) president, Mr George Kandiero, said the information at hand shows that the children were initiated into witchcraft. He said the word satanism is a ‘glorified’ term for witchcraft, adding that there is urgent need for the children’s exorcism.
“The snakes and manifestations suggest that the children are already witches and wizards. The fact that some of the children’s mothers are also witnessing a change in behaviour is proof to this.
“They need urgent cleansing through either traditional or Christian means. In addition, there is need for proper witch hunting so that there are no further initiations in the area,” said Mr Kandiero.
Prophet Cloud Chiremba of Mount Sinai said the minors are being tormented by territorial spirits. He said he used ‘back to sender’ prayers to deliver some of the children.
“The person behind this believes that the area is her territory. Parents in this area need to be prayerful as the evil spirits are out to .tack more children,” he said.
