In a surprising turn of events, a renowned witch-hunter, locally known as a “tsikamutanda,” from Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North province, experienced a sudden loss of his supposed “magical powers” when he fell seriously ill just before a scheduled cleansing ceremony. The unexpected illness forced the highly anticipated ceremony to be canceled.
According to BMetro, Nqobizitha Moyo, a 27-year-old individual who has been conducting cleansing ceremonies in various villages, is currently fighting for his life due to suspected poisoning. The nature of his illness perplexed the attendees who had gathered from far and wide to witness the cleansing ritual.
The head of Ntulani Village, Vincent Hadebe, expressed his shock when Moyo failed to appear for the cleansing ceremony in their area. Hadebe recounted, “On Tuesday morning, Moyo’s assistants called us to say that he was unable to attend the cleansing ceremony because he had fallen ill after eating mopane worms. They said that he was vomiting blood and they feared for his life,” said Hadebe.
Hadebe further explained that they had hoped Moyo’s presence would assist them in addressing the challenges faced by members of the community, particularly the students affected by knee ailments. However, fate took an unfortunate turn as the person they sought help from became a victim himself.
“We were hoping that his presence would help us deal with the challenges faced by both community members and students with knee handicaps, but sadly, the only person we struggled to find was attacked,” he added.
The cleansing ceremony had attracted a number of invited guests, including Chief Magama and other traditional leaders.
Hadebe shared their disappointment, stating, “We had invited a number of villagers, including Chief Magama and other headmen, to witness the cleansing ceremony, as we have faced various challenges in recent months.
“We have postponed the event, and we hope that Moyo recovers so that he can continue his work,” said a distraught Hadebe.
A local villager, speaking anonymously, acknowledged that regardless of the cause of Moyo’s illness, it was evident that he would be unable to perform the scheduled cleansing ceremony. The villager remarked, “The people were disappointed, but they understood. They knew that Moyo is a powerful prophet and that he needed to heal before he could continue his work,” said the villager.
Moyo gained prominence after being invited to Ntulani Village to aid in addressing a mysterious knee ailment affecting students at Magama Secondary School. During a previous cleansing ceremony, Moyo unearthed various witchcraft-related artefacts from different households, including baboons, monkeys, snakes, animal heads, and peculiar fabrics. He also successfully healed several students suffering from the enigmatic knee ailment.
Efforts to reach Moyo for comment were unsuccessful as his phone number was unreachable.
