In a traditional court in Chiweshe, a 73-year-old woman named Mai Makuva was accused of being the leader of a witchcraft group. This happened after her relative, Elisha Mwase, was found wandering naked one early Tuesday morning, leading villagers to suspect witchcraft.
During the court session, led by Chief Makope, Mai Makuva denied the claims, saying she is a traditional healer with powers from a spirit from Mozambique. She dared anyone to prove she is a witch.
As the court continued, Mai Makuva fell into a trance, crawling on the ground and speaking nonsensically while naming others in the village she accused of witchcraft. However, none of those she named were there to defend themselves.
Elisha Mwase, who had also been in a trance earlier, was calm and explained that he couldn’t remember what happened that day. He said he felt he had been influenced by some people.
Elisha’s mother described her shock at seeing her son looking strange and distorted, believing he was being controlled by others.
The court proceedings lasted all day and included prayers from four prophets, led by Bishop Kuchekwa. They claimed there was a witchcraft group in the village and pointed fingers at Mai Makuva.
Chief Makope condemned witchcraft, saying that if someone is seen walking naked at night and looks frightening, it must be witchcraft. He stressed the need for peaceful citizens and criticized how witchcraft harms the community.
As a punishment for Elisha’s actions, the Mwase family was fined one cow for the incident. The prophets promised to help the village heal from the chaos of the past week, showing that the case has divided the community.