Mutasa, Manicaland: A chilling tale of ghostly hauntings and accusations of witchcraft has gripped the community of Mutasa in Manicaland province, with a woman claiming to be tormented by the spirit of her deceased neighbour, while her husband’s children accuse her of polluting their family.
Ellen Mhukayesango, a 52-year-old villager of Mutasa, has found herself at the centre of this bizarre and unsettling case, which has now reached the court of Chief Mutasa. Her claims of being haunted by the ghost of Mai Lloyd Dzingai, her neighbour who passed away five years ago, have set tongues wagging and caused a rift within the family.
Ellen’s ordeal began with a visit to a prophet in Gandanzara in Rusape, who gave her a charm stone for protection against witchcraft. She claims that Mai Lloyd, who was known to be a practitioner of traditional medicine, had been harassing her for years, even going as far as to threaten her with snakes.
“While she was still alive, Mai Lloyd would come to my house and tell me terrifying things, like I shouldn’t romance with my husband but with her goblins instead. She would tell me I live with her snakes, and it seemed true because I would encounter strange snakes in my yard. I eventually left my initial home because of this, but she kept following me. I began to suspect she was practicing witchcraft,” Ellen explained to the court.
The situation took a sinister turn when Mai Lloyd, accompanied by two other women, allegedly entered Ellen’s home and took the charm stone from near her fireplace which they said was hindering them from performing their underworld tasks. Days later, all three women died, leaving Ellen shaken and fearing the worst.
“He said I should keep this charm to protect myself from witchcraft and to have children, as I didn’t have any. However, one day, Mai Lloyd came with two other women, claiming something in my house was hindering their work. When I asked what it was, they didn’t answer but went straight into my kitchen and took the charm stone from near the fireplace, leaving with it. They died a few days later,” Ellen recounted.
The alleged haunting began shortly after, with Ellen claiming to see Mai Lloyd’s ghost in her kitchen, forcing her to move kitchens multiple times. This led to her seeking help from Chief Mutasa, claiming that the ghost was tormenting her even when she went to collect firewood.
However, the family of the deceased woman has a different story. Sharon Mhukayesango, one of Casper Dzingai’s children, accuses Ellen of being the real witch, pointing to the deaths of several family members within a short period.
“As a family, we were shocked because we only found out about it through the newspaper. We want her to tell the truth; does she have anything to do with the death of the woman she claims is haunting her?” Sharon questioned, adding that the family suspects Ellen is responsible for the deaths of Mai Lloyd and two other women who allegedly took the charm stone.
Casper Dzingai, who was Mai Lloyd’s husband, also expressed his disbelief, calling Ellen’s accusations “harassing” and stating that she should provide evidence to support her claims. He maintains that his wife was not a witch and that he cannot help Ellen with her alleged haunting.
“This woman keeps harassing me with her ghost stories. Within four weeks, I lost my wife, son, wife’s sister, and a close relative. My brother’s wife, one of the women who allegedly went to my wife’s house and took the charms from the fireplace, also passed away.
Looking at this history, we suspect this woman is the real witch who killed these two women because of the charms she took. So, I can’t help her if she wants the ghost’s spirit to be appeased,” he stated.
Chief Mutasa, who is presiding over the case, has decided to postpone the hearing until the family has consulted with a traditional healer to clarify the situation surrounding Mai Lloyd’s death and the alleged haunting.
