Moffat Mungazi
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A 19-YEAR-OLD teenager from Mutare District has confessed practising witchcraft, claiming responsibility for the unexplained deaths of her three siblings.
The deaths have drawn parallels to the supernatural drama, Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
The three deceased siblings, Primrose (12), Pretty (five), and Trust (one month) — died under mysterious circumstances within a period of three months.
They would experience palpitations for days before passing away.
In an unsolicited interview last week, Dorcas Manjoro (19), of Temberere Village, under Chief Zimunya, admitted killing her three siblings, claiming to have been a witch since the age of 12.
She let the cat out of the bag after other members of her witchcraft coven allegedly threatened to kill her toddler suffering from stunted growth.
Manjoro, accompanied by her mother, Rebecca Nyamura, confessed to being part of a witchcraft coven that includes her aunt, granny and another relative (names supplied).
The matter is now before Chief Zimunya’s court, where the family was instructed to consult traditional healers, and have cleansing rituals performed at their homestead.
The three relatives denied the witchcraft allegations levelled against them.
Manjoro provided a detailed account of how her actions led to a series of tragic events and mysterious deaths in her mother’s household, including the death of her three siblings.
“I have been a witch since I was 12. Our coven meets at night in my room, where we transform into ants and visit graveyards to perform rituals and carry out our missions. I bewitched my siblings, which led to their deaths. Initially, I was reluctant, but the coven coerced me, threatening to kill me if I refused to sacrifice my siblings. I ate their flesh, and their spirits continue to haunt me, especially Pretty’s – she urged me to confess,” confessed Manjoro.
Manjoro’s revelation also uncovered a sinister picture of nocturnal battles between rival witch covens.
“One night, our coven clashed with a rival coven at the graveyard over a corpse. A drunkard stumbled upon the scene, and while my coven escaped, the rival coven was exposed. The village head was summoned to handle the matter, but he died mysteriously a week later – a consequence of our actions,’ she recounted.
“We travel to various countries, desecrating graveyards and feasting on corpses. The other coven members have warned me that they will deny any involvement if I expose them, but I yearn to be free from this darkness. I no longer find it enjoyable,” recounted Manjoro.
Manjoro explained that her motivation for confessing stems from her toddler’s mysterious health issues, which she believes are caused by the coven’s retaliatory actions after refusing to sacrifice her other sibling.
“My child is now a year and six-months-old, but appears like a new-born baby. He is even smaller than his younger brother, who is only three-months-old. He cries incessantly, unable to crawl, talk, or sit. I am convinced that a malevolent entity, manifesting as a snake, drains his blood every night. We took the baby to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for medical evaluation, but the doctors claim they cannot find anything wrong with him,” she said.
Her mother, Nyamura expressed devastation and heartbreak over her daughter’s shocking confession. She revealed that suspicion initially arose when her daughter gave birth to a baby with stunted growth.
She also shared the traumatic experience of losing three children consecutively under mysterious circumstances, which left her searching for answers.
“I was always perplexed by the unexplained deaths of my children, who passed away within consecutive months without any logical explanation. They would exhibit symptoms similar to malaria and succumb to their illnesses in a short span. The community accused me of witchcraft and killing my own children. I was stunned when she (Dorcas) confessed killing her siblings and eating their flesh. As a mother, how does one come to terms with such a horrific revelation? How can I live with the knowledge that my own daughter brought such pain and destruction upon our family?” she lamented.
Nyamura expressed outrage towards her mother-in-law, Agnes, for allegedly initiating her daughter into witchcraft.
“As we speak, they are refusing to have their witchcraft paraphernalia destroyed. A traditional healer we consulted requires US$1 000 to destroy the paraphernalia, but they are unwilling to contribute towards the cost. I am struggling to pay the US$70 consultation fee, let alone the US$1 000 required for the ritual,” she said.
