“…even those we don’t expect
to be doing it are involved”
Chipinge Rural Police
Station normally leads the police stations in Chipinge District in cases of
murder and rape. The area concerned is covered by a Police Post named
Grassflats with three chiefs under it – Chief Mapungwana, Musikavanhu and
Gwenzi.
Most murders occurring in this
area are always treated suspiciously with most of them being linked to rituals.
This is because some people
believe in consulting traditional healers for various issues like wealth and
riches.
In 2012, The
Outpost once reported of a case where six family members were murdered
in Chief Mapungwana’s area before being bundled into a hut which was later
burnt to cover up the gory crime. It had to take the meticulous officers who
attended the scene that saw blood outside the hut and smelt a rat which later
had the case treated as murder. It was ritually related.
In another case, a lady was arrested after
killing her own son before violating the body by removing ears to give to
a traditional healer.
There is also a tale of one
traditional healer who is said to have entered into Zimbabwe after escaping the
custody of Mozambican Police. The traditional healer was said to have been
found in possession of human body parts including skulls. He is said to have
disappeared after the local police started investigating the allegations.
The traditional healer was
also blamed for the increase of ritual murders before his escape. However, the
cases continue to be received despite his escape.
The Outpost
news reporters Robert Zvidza and Clemency Takawira (TO) were in Chipinge recently where they talked to Chief
Mapungwana born Anias Mapungwana (CM),
one of the chiefs that oversee part of the area covered by Chipinge Rural
Police Station. Chief Mapungwana a member of the ZRP Chipinge Rural Crime
Consultative Committee (CCC) and also a member of the Chief’s Council.
Below are the excerpts from
the interview.
TO:
What’s your comment on cases of murder and rape occurring in your area of
jurisdiction?
CM: Most murders are indeed ritually
related and we always talk about it. Long back we used to hear stories of
grinding mills talking in the voice of the person who will have been killed saying
“am now tired” but it’s different nowadays. We thought as people get educated
and more civilized the practice would end but it’s not ending. Everyone is doing
it including those people we don’t expect to be doing that - the teachers, graduates, and even church people- being involved. People are refusing to learn and are
giving others nightmares. You might make money, yes, for a very short period, but
the repercussions are fatal and as people try to appease the spirits more such crimes
occur as a result.
TO: What
about Rape?
CM: There are those myths and beliefs that
people are advised by traditional healers which cause these cases for example
when a man with 14 wives goes on to rape a 3-year old. It's baffling because we
can’t say the man was sexually starved. There is obviously an ultra motive
which is driven by beliefs or instructions from somewhere.
They
are doing it for many reasons; wealthy, promotions, or curing of certain
diseases on the advice of traditional healers.
TO: What
are you doing as chiefs to discourage such incidents in your area?
CM: We are trying to spread the messages. I am a
member of the Chiefs Council and we hold departmental meetings with magistrates
and other stakeholders where these cases are being talked about. As member of
the CCC, we also discuss crime related issues as a committee and we pass the resolutions
and messages to the people when I chair my meetings with headmen, village heads,
and councilors as well as Non-Governmental Organisations operating in our area.
We always encourage them to preach the gospel of anti-crime. It is helpful a
lot as sometimes we don’t have such cases reported in our area.
TO: What
do you think can be done to improve service delivery by the police?
CM: First of all there should be more police
officers in the rural areas where the majority of the people are. That is where
most crimes are committed. You find that a few police officers cover large
areas for example here at Chako Business Centre, there are two police officers
at any given time of which one remains manning the base and the other attending
scenes. What will happen when three cases are reported at once? It becomes a
challenge as well given that they are also not mobile.
There
is also this concept of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee which the police have. This
is a very noble programme and it helps a lot in reaching far localities. But
them being family men, they just need a token of appreciation so that their
services are not limited it will instead improve. Lack of these incentives sometimes
may lead to corrupt tendencies by these members because they know they are very
far from the station, when they make an arrest, it is easy for them to release
the accused person for a small bribe.
TO: As
traditional leaders how are you relating to the local police?
CM: We are relating very well with the local
police and sometimes we discuss with the District command, station, and
recently, the Officer Commanding Province was here to visit me. I also talk to
the guys manning our Police Base and Post at all the times.
TO: What
challenges do you have as a chief whose jurisdiction includes the borderline?
CM: It’s really difficult as I always having new
people as people come and go willy nilly. There has been inter-marriages
between those from the other side and from our side and I am afraid some of
these strange cases committed here are influenced by the way people on the
other side live their lives. While marrying a minor this end is a crime, the
other side you find girls as young as 12 starting families. So when we send
messages to the people, our messages fall on deaf ears as we continue to have
new people in my area.
The
problem of the border has not affected us alone but even the police as culprits
easily jump the border and go to Mozambique and others to South Africa.
Differing
religious belief also affects us as chiefs. When such heinous crimes occurred
in the past, we had traditional ways of cleansing the area but owing to
different religious beliefs some now don’t attend such ceremonies however, we
found out those who are perpetrators of such crimes had a tendency of hiding behind church
beliefs and white garments. This means we will continue going back and forth.
They no longer appease avenging spirits even if they commit such crimes.
TO:
Chief, what are your last words
CM: Crime is there and some of it is going
unreported and as such police should check with village heads, headmen and
chiefs for they know what is happening in their communities. Police should also
attend meetings and speak to the traditional leaders because we may leave
some important things when it’s us who talk about crime.
TO:
Thank you for your time Chief
CM: Thank you
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