A 99-year-old granny from Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North
left villagers shocked after she moved her body just as she was about to be
buried.
Mrs Nkazanyana Ncube from Kwine village under Chief Gampu
who was buried yesterday, ‘resurrected’ twice as villagers attemped to bury
her.
She died at her homestead and was not certified dead by a
doctor.
Mrs Ncube is said to have died on Saturday at about 3AM and
resurrected as fellow villagers were about to bury her the same day forcing
them to take her back into the house.
Villagers who had taken her ‘body’ which was wrapped in a
blanket to the grave, noticed movements as they prepared to lower the body into
the grave and immediately suspended the burial.
At about 1AM yesterday, they discovered her body was ‘cold
again’ and when they resumed burial preparations, she started moving her body
again.
She finally passed on at around 6AM yesterday leading to
her burial at around 11AM.
Relatives said they did not panic as they believed that as
a traditionalist her ‘resurrection’ was being triggered by ancestors.
A Chronicle news crew visited Kwine village yesterday and
villagers spoke of their shock saying nothing like that had been experienced
before.
Family spokesperson Mr Thabson Ndlovu said his aunt died
and ‘resurrected’ twice.
“She has been unwell for quite a long time. Besides old
age, she suffered a stroke that affected her right side. The situation
deteriorated a few days ago as she could no longer speak. On Saturday at about
3AM she died. We started burial arrangements, we informed the village head and
burial preparations started as villagers gathered and started digging her
grave. As we were about to bury her, we noticed movements of the blanket she
was wrapped in. The ‘body’ had been removed from the house and placed just near
the grave. That is when one of the villagers said there was movement in the
blanket. She seemed breathing,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said the body was taken into the house where she died
again at about 1AM and when they resumed burial preparations, they again
noticed movements of the blanket confirming she was alive.
Mr Ndlovu said at 6am they were planning to take her to the
local clinic.
“We were very worried as we didn’t know what was happening.
We were planning to take her to the clinic and we had even hired a car to take
her to hospital from the clinic. Normally, it’s elderly women who assess and
make pronouncements on deaths but following those two episodes even us men
entered the house to check for ourselves. When she was pronounced dead, her
body was really cold, but later you would feel that it was warm, confirming
that she was alive. So, we really got puzzled,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He however said villagers did not panic when Mrs Ncube rose
from the dead.
“We did not panic partly because we believe her
resurrection was triggered by amadlozi as it happened when we were conducting
rituals. She was a traditionalist possessed by ancestral spirits,” he said.
A villager Mrs Tede Moyo said it was her first time to hear
of someone dying before rising again.
“This is really worrying. I can imagine if she was in a
coffin, she could have been buried alive. This left most us shocked that
someone can be confirmed dead when he or she is alive. We’ve never heard of
such a miracle before. If it wasn’t for some minor works that had to be carried
out at the grave before burial, she could have been buried alive,” said Mrs
Ncube.
Kwine village head Mr Elijah Vundla said he was convinced
that Mrs Ncube died and rose from the dead.
“We were even planning to consult sangomas because this is
not something that we are accustomed to. We thought that since she was
traditionalist, there were things that needed to be done. But she then died
peacefully this morning but we had to delay burial just to be sure,” said Mr
Vundla.
Acting Mpilo Central Hospital clinical director Dr Xolani
Ndlovu, said it was difficult to express a medical opinion on such a matter
because the body was not taken to a health facility.
He said medically, the person was not dead but added that
in old age there may be fluctuations that may result in one not being
conscious.
“So, in medical terms, we can’t say the person was dead.
There is no proof. Clinically if someone is dead, there is no brain activity.
Unlike the heart, if the brain stops working, it can’t be restarted,” said Dr
Ndlovu.
It’s quite normal in old people and those people who suffer
from liver failure or liver cirrhosis. Even people who are diabetic can suffer
from the same problem due to the fluctuating sugar levels which may leave one
unconscious. So, when sugar levels fluctuate, a person can easily drift into
unconsciousness and consciousness. In this case probably she lost consciousness
and had a very low heart beat which made her relatives and villagers believe
that she was dead and then bury her. This is why we encourage that qualified
doctors should be the only ones to certify deaths.” Chronicle
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