Forget horror movies and escape rooms, this is the real deal. Bulawayo’s very own Madzibaba Lenny turned a simple spiritual visit into a $20 700 nightmare for Innocentia Sekani (61). Between March and August 2025, snakes, spirits, and “divine” instructions cost her cash and cars, leaving her shocked, broke, and utterly convinced that prophets can be more dangerous than actual snakes.
It all started
innocently, or as innocently as it gets in the world of snake-cleansing
prophets. Sekani’s daughter, Tsitsi Muketiwa, had visited Lenny through her
boyfriend, Samuel Munyaradzi, seeking spiritual help. Lenny, spotting an
opportunity, demanded that Sekani herself be brought in. The Entumbane-based
prophet then orchestrated the first visit to Sekani’s house, claiming her
daughter needed deliverance and the house needed cleansing.
“The first
visit was terrifying,” Sekani told a court. “They ‘removed a live snake’ from
my daughter’s wardrobe and another from my bedroom.
“Madzibaba
Michael tied the snake with my fleece blanket, and then we were told to pray.
After that, they demanded $3 000 within two hours, or else. Naturally, the
payment was made. Who argues with snakes?”
But the snakes
were only the beginning. Lenny claimed the spirits were still unhappy and
insisted more money was needed. Sekani was told to sell her Toyota Hilux to a
specified buyer for no less than $10 000
and hand over all the cash to the prophet because apparently the money was
contaminated by evil spirits. She complied and handed over $9 500, bringing the
running total to $12 500.
Next on Lenny’s
hit list were Sekani’s other vehicles. A Mazda Demio was sold for $2 200 after
the prophet got angry that a spiritual instruction had been misunderstood. Then
came the Toyota Aqua, valued at $7 000, which Sekani was forced to tow to Entumbane.
If you are
keeping score, that’s $20 700 in cash plus three cars, with only the Aqua
eventually recovered. But wait, there’s more. Lenny charged an additional $250
for consultation and even demanded bus fare and food money for himself during
visits. In June, he also demanded the remaining $500 from the Hilux sale
because the spirits apparently had not been fully appeased.
The scam’s
logistics were almost theatrical. Sekani and her daughter were instructed to
travel to Norton, throw cash in the Mguza River, and consult the prophet at
multiple shrines.
There was
someone hiding under the bridge to collect the money and Sekani believed it had
been swallowed by the river to appease the spirits.
Lenny would
alternate between “in spirit” proclamations and furious threats, sometimes
claiming her daughter’s ex-boyfriend Eugene Moyo was responsible for the
family’s spiritual misfortune. At one point, he claimed there was an evil
organism inside her daughter’s stomach, requiring another $300 “spiritual fee”
and the Toyota Hilux to be driven to Norton for a cleansing.
By the end, it
was clear, the only thing Lenny was truly delivering was emptier wallets and
empty promises.
Each new demand
piled on top of the last, making what started as a snake scare a full-blown
multi-vehicle heist with theatrical flair. Even the simple act of praying
turned into a stressful lesson in “how fast can you sell your car.”
Madzibaba Lenny
has now appeared in court, facing five counts of fraud, extortion, and unlawful
possession of property. B Metro
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