Bizarre family feud unleashes haunting owls on Zimbabwean man
In a peculiar turn of events, a family dispute in Rusape has taken a supernatural twist, with a man claiming that his nephew’s wife has sent owls to torment him. Johanne Ngowera alleges that he has been encountering the nocturnal birds during daylight hours ever since he failed to compensate his nephew, Taurai Makombe, and his wife, Stella Shepherd, for damages caused by his cattle straying into their garden and destroying their crops.
The matter recently came before Chief Makoni as Ngowera sought intervention to resolve the escalating conflict peacefully. According to Ngowera, his health rapidly deteriorated soon after being “visited” by the owls. Despite attempting to ward off the birds with fire and prayers, they persistently return, leaving him perplexed and distressed.
Ngowera shared the origins of the feud, which he claims began after his elder brother’s death. Makombe allegedly planted a mysterious flower on the grave, marking the catalyst for their strained relationship and accusations of sorcery.
At first they planted a flower on my late brother’s grave. I confronted Makombe, and he said the flower was meant to protect my late brother. My grandchild died mysteriously afterwards, but we remained mum. After that, a cow which was grazing near the graves also died mysteriously,” Ngowera recounted.
The tension escalated when Ngowera’s cattle accidentally trespassed on Makombe’s property, leading to a demand for compensation. Ngowera claims that when he attempted to reconcile and offer compensation, Makombe refused, and Shepherd threatened to unleash the owls upon him. Initially taking the threat lightly, Ngowera was shocked when he witnessed four owls flying towards him in broad daylight just four days later.
“I was roofing a client’s house when my hands suddenly went numb. After that I saw four owls flying towards me. They flew past me and I asked my workmates if they had seen the owls too, but they replied in the negative. I asked them to assist me to climb down from the roof since my hands were numb. My workmates assisted me to walk home. I don’t know what happened thereafter as I appeared to be hypnotised,” Ngowera recalled.
During his trance-like state, Ngowera apparently demanded that Makombe be compensated for the damage caused by his own cattle straying into the garden. The situation further escalated when Makombe and his father allegedly confronted Ngowera, accusing him of labelling them as sorcerers.
However, Makombe denies his wife ever threatened to unleash owls on Ngowera, suggesting that Ngowera’s unusual behaviour and hallucinations may be signs of mental illness. The feuding parties have been referred to a traditional healer for consultations in an effort to uncover the truth behind the strange occurrences.
As Ngowera lives in fear of continued owl harassment, the community remains divided over the supernatural accusations, with some branding Makombe and Shepherd as sorcerers. The bizarre family feud continues to captivate locals, leaving them pondering the mysteries and complexities of the human spirit and the unexplained forces that may lie beyond our understanding.
With consultations underway, the hope for resolution hangs in the balance, waiting to shed light on the truth behind the haunting owls and the enigmatic rift tearing this family apart.
