Domboshava – A family in the Chinhamora communal lands of Domboshava is living in fear, claiming that the spirit of their late father, Sekuru Nyampance Zawe, is haunting them. This unsettling situation follows a series of unusual burial rites performed back in 2017, which the family now believes have disturbed his spirit.
Sekuru Zawe passed away in 2017 while residing with his second wife, having lost his first wife previously. He had been transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals from their rural home, where he lived with his younger wife and her relatives, as he had no children with her.
According to family spokesperson Nyemudzai Zawe (44), daughter of Sekuru Zawe’s first wife, the unconventional manner in which her father’s body was handled during the funeral is to blame for the haunting.
“I am the daughter of the first wife who passed away before my father,” Nyemudzai explained. “After my mother’s death, my father married my aunt and started living with us as a family in Domboshava. My father later fell ill and died at Parirenyatwa. His body was then taken to our rural home in Domboshava.”
The unusual rituals began upon arrival at their rural home. “His coffin was first brought into the bedroom through the window and then taken out through the same window,” Nyemudzai recounted. “It was then brought into the kitchen and passed through the chisuvi, the apex of the thatched roof, where it stayed, and when it was time for burial, it was again taken out through the chisuvi. The elders who were present said that this is what my father had instructed, that he wanted this custom to be performed for him.”
In Shona, chisuvi refers to the point where the thatched roofing meets at the top of a round kitchen hut, a traditional architectural feature common in rural homesteads. The act of passing the coffin through this opening is highly unorthodox.
Adding to the family’s woes, Sekuru Zawe’s clothes have remained undistributed since his passing, despite the construction of a tombstone on his grave. This further complicates the situation, as unresolved matters concerning the deceased’s belongings are often believed to agitate their spirit.
“I live in Harare with my family,” Nyemudzai continued. “At the beginning of last year, I received a message from our rural home saying that my father was appearing as a ghost, troubling the people who live there. As a family, we are now living in fear. Some are saying that they want to take the clothes and throw them in the forest or take them to the homes of others like me and my sister. So we are now living in fear because these clothes are said to be cursed. We are getting different interpretations from traditional healers and prophets.”
The haunting and the unresolved issue of the clothes have created a climate of fear and uncertainty within the family, with some members suggesting drastic measures such as discarding the clothes in remote locations or even planting them in the homes of relatives.
The escalating situation prompted concerned individuals who had witnessed the burial proceedings to bring the matter before Chief Chinhamora’s traditional court. The court, after hearing the evidence, ruled that the unusual handling of the corpse constituted a defilement of the community.
“This matter was eventually taken to Chief Chinhamora’s court, which ruled that what had been done was a defilement of their area, that a corpse was brought in and out through a window, and then brought in and out through the chisuvi,” Nyemudzai explained.
As a consequence, Sekuru Zawe’s younger wife was ordered to pay a fine of two cattle – one to Chief Chinhamora and another to the deceased’s relatives. However, the family’s financial difficulties have prevented them from fulfilling this obligation to date.
“We are only two remaining children of my father, and therefore we can no longer afford some of the things that need to be done,” Nyemudzai lamented. “Some of my father’s younger brothers who were supposed to be paid a cow according to Chief Chinhamora’s ruling have also passed away. We do not know what other customs need to be performed.”
Mai Kambezo Zawe (76), the widow of the deceased, corroborated the account of the unusual burial practices. “Yes, my husband died after the custom of bringing the body into the house and taking it out through the window was performed, according to their rural customs,” she confirmed. “His clothes have not been distributed, and there are some challenges with the traditional practices.”
Mai Kambezo declined to provide further details, expressing only her desire for the clothes to be either distributed among the family or taken by a close relative of the deceased.
Seeking a resolution to the family’s predicament, Gogo Sarudzai Jaravaza (58) from Harare urged the family to unite and address the outstanding issues surrounding Sekuru Zawe’s belongings and perform appropriate traditional rites.
“This whole family, from the first wife’s side to the wife who was later married after the first wife’s death, should come together and distribute the deceased’s belongings, as his spirit will end up fighting everyone indiscriminately,” Gogo Jaravaza advised. “A ghost means that it has become an avenging spirit.”
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