A 25-YEAR-OLD woman from Douglasdale suburb in Bulawayo
died after drinking a poisonous concoction she got from a traditional healer
(inyanga) who has since been arrested.
Belinda Sibanda died at the shrine of the inyanga, Belinda
Musiyiwa (37), who is also a Bulawayo Polytechnic College examination board
member.
The incident occurred on Sunday at about 3PM after the
woman went to consult the inyanga who also lives in Douglasdale.
Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector
Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the incident yesterday.
“We are investigating a culpable homicide incident which
occurred in Douglasdale suburb where a 25-year-old woman died after drinking a
concoction given to her by a traditional healer.
“At the moment we cannot say much as investigations are
still in progress. However, the suspect has been arrested and is assisting
police with investigations,” said Asst Insp Msebele.
She urged members of the public to be careful especially
when dealing with faith-based healers.
“This is probably a second or third incident where clients
have lost their lives upon visiting a traditional healer or self-proclaimed
prophets. Although we cannot discourage members of the public from approaching
these groups for their spiritual issues, we urge them to exercise caution in
dealing with them.
“We also urge faith-based healers to take extra precaution
in administering medication to their clients. It’s very unfortunate that some
people are losing lives in the process of getting help from them,” she said.
Asst Insp Msebele said Sibanda’s body was taken to the
United Bulawayo Hospitals for a postmortem.
Sources said Musiyiwa is a member of the Zimbabwe National
Traditional Healers’ Association (ZINATHA) and also a member of the Bulawayo
Polytechnic College examination board.
The source said Musiyiwa also owns a beauty parlour in the
city’s Central Business District.
“We are told that the deceased had visited the traditional
healer with her cousin but the cousin later returned home after realising that
the queue was too long.
“The deceased was served at about 3PM and she was given a
mixture to drink and started groaning like a possessed person making cow-like
sounds. She also started vomiting while jumping towards the precast wall before
falling unconscious,” said the source.
He said Musiyiwa waited for some time before calling her
husband to the shrine and they took Sibanda to the United Bulawayo Hospitals
where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Sibanda’s husband Mr Ketumetsi Moyo (26) said he was in
shock as he had not known that his wife had gone to consult the inyanga.
“I can’t say much
because when I arrived there everything had already occurred. For starters I
didn’t know that she had visited the traditional healer.
“So, I was shocked when I was called and told that she had
passed on at the shrine. This is hurting me a lot. As it stands, I have to bear
all the funeral expenses and my two children have lost their mother.
“The youngest is a year-old and was still breastfeeding
while the other is three years old,” said Mr Moyo.- Chronicle
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