The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa Weekender Correspondent
A MAKONI teenager allegedly succumbed to ‘‘runyoka’’ on Monday after bedding his married lover who is believed to have been ‘‘fenced’’ by her suspicious husband.
The deceased Lucas Nyabvure (19) is alleged to have started complaining of severe stomach pains last Saturday after having sexual intercourse with his lover the day before.
Nyabvure was buried on Friday in Ringanai Village.
When The Weekender visited the village on Monday, villagers were failing to come to terms with the incident. They pointed accusing fingers at the Nyabvure family for failing to help the deceased on time.
A neighbour who requested anonymity said the Nyabvures told the public that their son had been food poisoned yet the deceased’s older female friends said otherwise.
“They lied to us that their son had succumbed to food poisoning but we already knew that he had succumbed to runyoka. He slept with a married woman. His friends revealed it to us.
“At the funeral and giving her testimony, one of the women who performed derogatory dance moves which they claimed to have performed with him while he was still alive testified metaphorically that he had eaten poisoned food which had not been meant for him.
“Everybody knew what she meant then because we had already been told. She meant that he had slept with a woman whose private parts had been locked by her husband,” said the neighbour.
She insisted that the Nyabvure family had been secretive and failed to look for help when they realised that their son had been attacked by runyoka.
“They would have helped their son by ordering him to confess on what he had done, he would still be alive today. Rather, they remained secretive and now he is dead,” said one angry neighbour.
The Harare women performed sexually explicit dances at the funeral and imitated the deceased’s drunken dances and moves which they alleged were his favourite, Lucas’ aunt, Mai Nyabvure said.
“We were surprised that those were his friends, married women in their 30s but we had no say in the matter since our families are estranged. Lucas’ family now stays in Harare. We were only told that he had died of food poisoning and were even surprised that they came here to bury him despite the fact that their homestead is deserted,” said Mai Nyabvure.
The deceased’s parents were not available for comment as they had travelled back to Harare when the news crew visited their Makoni homestead.
A lover who has been affected by runyoka is usually characterised by changing skin colour and dying.
According to ZINATHA president Mr George Kandiero, runyoka is a violation of human rights and a security mechanism that is often put on wives by their suspicious spouses.
Said Mr Kandiero: “It has always been there since our forefathers’ time and usually men do that to fence off their wives from practising extra marital relationships. It is however, a very serious violation of human rights and ZINATHA is against it. We urge people to seek for help and not use someone else’s body to trap and endanger their lives. Going your separate ways if you do not trust your spouse is way better than entrapping them like that.”
He said there are exorcists who can help and heal the affected lover but in most cases the husband is the one who usually has the power to unlock the trapped lovers depending on the intensity of the trap.
