Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
IN what could be a script for an award-winning horror movie, the alleged private parts of a man who was murdered for rituals 41 years ago were last week on Saturday retrieved from under a disused shop in Manica Bridge, Mutasa District.
The private parts were no longer intact, and no DNA tests were conducted to ascertain whether the remains were indeed the deceased’s.
Tukai Kujeke was allegedly murdered for ritual purposes by James Dangarembwa and Oneday Manyarara in 1982.
His private parts, tongue and eyes were missing when his body was discovered back then.
People in Maondo Village were treated to free drama by Nyanga-based traditional healer, Sekuru Shingirai Mukotsanjera, as he retrieved the alleged remains of the private parts from a small calabash that was buried under the Dangarembwa shop.
When The Weekender arrived at Maondo Business Centre during the retrieval process, scores of villagers had a lot to say about the ‘haunted’ Dangarembwa shop, with some claiming that the shop could spiritually turn away tenants and customers.
However, the Dangarembwa family turned violent and tried to chase away our news crew. It took the intervention of Sekuru Mukotsanjera to pacify the enraged Dangarembwas.
In an interview, Village Head Maondo said after the late Dangarembwa failed to use the shop due to Kujeke’s avenging spirit, he decided to rent it out.
However, no tenant could occupy the shop for long.
“A tenant would wake up to see an anthill in the shop. Every morning, goods in the shop would mysteriously be found dumped outside. Each time this happened, the tenant would pack their bags and leave and a new one would come in. The same pattern continued until no one wanted to rent the shop. For years, that shop has been vacant,” said Village Head Maondo. The shop, which was built in 1982, was last renovated and repainted in the 80s but it its exterior still looks as good as new.
However, inside the shop are anthills.
Dangarembwa’s son, who refused to identify himself, said they never enjoyed the proceeds of the ritual killing as it has haunted the family ever since Kujeke was killed.
“We never benefited from the shop. Growing up, we were labelled the children of a murderer, yet we were just like any other children. We would be sent back home from school over non-payment of fees. Our father denied killing anyone, even though we were evidently being haunted by this avenging spirit. The truth has been unveiled today. We are glad that we are now free from the spirit’s vengeance,” he said.
“I also got to realise that the avenging spirit was preventing us from bearing male children. We all have girls only. We just realised it after the Manyarara family told us that they were also struggling with the same issue,” he said.
Joseph Manyarara said he lost 16 family members because of the avenging spirit. Four of the deceased were his daughters.
“We ended up not acquiring birth certificates for our children because the rate with which they were dying was alarming. You would give a child a cup of water to drink and she would die mysteriously. Post mortem results would show drowning as the cause of death. How can someone drown in a cup of water?” he said.
According to Kujeke’s children, when police attended the murder scene in 1982, they concluded that their father had drowned in a shallow puddle where his body was retrieved.
It was also concluded that his missing body parts, including his private organ, tongue and eyes, had been devoured by fish.
Fast forward 41 years later with the Manyarara and Dangarembwa families seeking to avenge Kujeke’s spirit, his family insisted on the recovery of his missing body parts before the appeasement process could be initiated. This resulted in Saturday’s retrieval process.
After the retrieval of the alleged private parts in a small calabash about two metres deep just outside the Dangarembwa shop, Sekuru Mukotsanjera partially opened Kujeke’s grave and placed the body parts inside the grave.
His family received a combined 14 herd of cattle from the Manyarara and Dangarembwa families as appeasement.
In an interview with the Weekender, the late Kujeke’s daughters – Nestar, Lucia and Viola said they were relieved that their father’s private parts were retrieved. They believe that he is now resting in peace.
“We wanted our father’s private parts first and now that our demands have been met, the appeasement process can go on. As we speak, this is now a funeral because we are burying our father again, 41 years later.
“It is painful that before their deaths, Dangarembwa and Manyarara never confessed to what they did to our father. Their families had to endure all these torments, but it is what it is, our father fought and won his own battle,” said Nestar.
Lucia also said the Manyarara and Dangarembwa families had initially offered to give them the shop instead of digging up the private parts.
“We do not care about the shop, it is cursed after all. Our father’s spirit has been tormenting that shop ever since his death, we could not imagine running that shop. What we wanted were his body parts so that he rests in peace,” charged the woman.
Sekuru Mukotsanjera offered to cleanse the shop if anyone from the Dangarembwa family wants to take it over, but they all refused.
“I offered to help them, but the Dangarembwas do not want anything to do with the shop. It will remain vacant since no one wants it for now. I am also sure that even if someone wants to use it, no customer will want to buy from there after witnessing this drama,” said Sekuru Mukotsanjera.
