A chilling tale unfolds from the Mhondoro district, where a 42-year-old man, Knowledge Milanzi, finds himself in an extraordinary predicament. His body, particularly his abdomen, has swollen dramatically, resembling the condition of a pregnant woman.
He attributes this bizarre affliction to a curse, or juju, he believes was placed upon him after he and his wife stole five bags of dried maize.
Milanzi, from Headman Chinamaringa’s area under Chief Mashayamombe, paints a picture of escalating distress.
“I’ve been swollen like this for two months; all my clothes, from trousers to underwear, are too tight. I’m always sweating, and even shirts don’t fit; my whole body is swollen. I can’t help myself, I can’t walk, I can only crawl,” he recounts.
The unusual nature of his illness extends beyond the visible swelling. He describes a disturbing symptom, echoing the behaviour often associated with pregnancy: “I also report eating soil.” This, coupled with his description of passing “watery stool with blood”, adds another layer of complexity to his already desperate situation.
The origins of his suffering, according to Milanzi, trace back to a theft committed several months ago at a homestead in Watyoka, where he worked.
“This problem started after I stole five bags of dried maize from neighbours at the homestead where I worked in Watyoka. I denied it until I was in so much pain that I confessed,” he explains.
Following his confession, Milanzi and his wife, Vimbai Masara (32), approached the maize owners seeking forgiveness. They offered a meagre US$5 in compensation. The owners, in a gesture of apparent reconciliation, provided him with traditional medicine – a root to chew – intended to alleviate his condition. However, the medicine, instead of providing relief, seems to have worsened his plight.
“This illness worsened. My parents carried me on a stretcher to the people I stole from, and we all apologised, including my wife. They gave me root medicine to chew, supposedly to reduce the swelling. But after taking it, the swelling got even worse,” he laments.
The swelling, he recalls, began after a visit to his sister, Winnet Milanzi, in old Mhondoro, several days after the theft. He pinpoints the initial onset of the swelling to a seemingly unrelated incident: “I was fishing with nets in the Dorananga River when I first started feeling unwell.”
Adding to the already complex narrative, Milanzi reveals another layer of misfortune. A former wife, in a move he finds unsettling, confiscated some of his underwear.
“I have a former wife who confiscated my remaining underwear. People say something was done to my remaining clothes,” he states, hinting at the possibility of further foul play.
He further recounts an incident at his former workplace involving a sacred bird, a tsodzo, which he killed and ate the eggs of, causing further conflict with the property owners.
His ordeal has extended beyond the physical. Recently, a kitchen fire destroyed his few remaining possessions, leaving him homeless.
“Recently, while I was sleeping in the kitchen, I crawled outside to relieve myself when the kitchen caught fire, destroying everything inside. To make matters worse, I have nowhere to live. My parents’ bedroom is still under construction, and we all share the same house,” he explains.
The financial burden of his illness has depleted his resources. “It’s raining, and I have nowhere to sleep. All my money is gone trying to get treatment. I’ve seen all sorts of traditional healers and prophets, and I even went to the hospital, but they told us to see doctors, and we don’t have the money,” he despairs.
His wife, Vimbai, corroborates the story of the maize theft and the subsequent events.
“We stole five bags of maize because of hunger. We went to apologise, but they didn’t charge us because we had nothing. They gave my husband medicine, but nothing has changed,” she says.
She also reveals the emotional toll of accusations from her husband’s relatives: “Some of my husband’s relatives say I put runyoka on him. If I had runyoka, would I have a child with him? This is my third husband; the first one and I separated, and the second one died. Those accusations hurt me; I haven’t even told my parents in Zaka.”
Headman Chinamaringa, Tonderayi Matinetsa (44), confirms the account of the maize theft and the subsequent attempt at reconciliation.
“This case was brought to me, and we brought together the maize owners and the sick man, who apologised and received medicine, but it’s not helping. I also heard about his former wife confiscating his underwear and the story about him killing a sacred bird at his former workplace,” he states.
Knowledge’s parents, Chitambi Milanzi (66) and Mary Chingwaru Milanzi (72), express their helplessness in the face of their son’s deteriorating condition.
“I’m suffering because of my son’s illness. When he stole the maize, we went to apologise and were given medicine for him to chew, but it’s not helping. His whole body is swollen, from his legs to his stomach,” says Chitambi.
His wife adds, “I don’t know what to do about my son’s illness. I’m pleading for help for my son, whatever kind of help it may be. We spoke to the maize owners after the theft, and they gave us medicine, but nothing happened.”
Even his sister, Winnet Milanzi (35), admits to being at a loss for solutions.
Dr Enock Maidah, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), offers a starkly different perspective. He urges Milanzi to seek conventional medical attention. “This man should go to the hospital for a medical examination and follow all the doctor’s instructions. There is no incurable disease,” he advises.
