Mutare witch surrenders human biltong.

Human biltong

The Mutare woman, who last week confessed before Chief Zimunya's court to practising witchcraft and using two snakes to "stop" rains from falling, had earlier on approached the chief and surrendered a chunk of human biltong.

Acting Chief Zimunya confirmed in an interview that, indeed, 18-year-old Tsitsi Matimbe brought the dried piece of human flesh complaining that it was difficult to chew, and that she felt tormented.

"At first, we could not believe it and we ordered her to show us the chunk of the biltong and she was quick to do it.

“We were all shocked and we just ordered her to return it to where she took it. We don't know whether she managed to do so.

“She told us that it was part of a corpse she and her colleagues had taken from a grave in another village 50km away,'' said Chief Zimunya.

Tsitsi told the chief's court that she and her uncle, Abisha, who is the alleged kingpin in the witchcraft saga, had used two snakes — a python and a Mozambican spitting cobra, in their practice.

Chief Zimunya said they came to know of the story of witchcraft within the Matimbe family when Tsitsi's in-laws sent her back after her baby refused to breastfeed.

He said Tsitsi's marital problems coincided with yet another calamity in the family wherein about five members of the family suffered from mental problems.

"During the same period, we were also made aware of the fact that most of their daughters in the family were having marital problems. When they were summoned by the traditional leaders in the area to explain their problem, that was when we learnt that there was a chunk of human biltong in Tsitsi's possession.

"We are now looking forward to solving the problem once and for all when all the concerned parties gather.

We cannot solve the problem as long as some of the concerned people are not there — especially their daughter-in-law, Gladys Kokera, who fled to Masvingo and their other sister, who also fled to Shurugwi," Chief Zimunya said.