On Wednesday morning, residents of Murewa discovered a dea@d jackal in a trash bin outside a nearby furniture shop at Chibhanguza Complex.
The jackal was unusual not only because of its presence in a populated area but also because it wore traditional beads known as chuma around its neck.
The discovery stirred considerable curiosity and concern among the locals.
One witness, who chose to remain anonymous, suggested that the jackal might have been a witch who had transformed into the animal but was unable to return to human form in time.
“Uyu munhu adokererwa uyu,” he remarked.
Others echoed similar suspicions, believing the presence of the beads and the jackal’s unusual appearance were linked to witchcraft.
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In local folklore, jackals are often associated with the supernatural and the darker aspects of the spiritual world.
As one resident put it, “Hakuna gava rinozvipfekedza chuma, pane zvaitoitika.”
A similar incident occurred in a village in Kenya’s Rift Valley. Last month, residents stumbled upon a dead hyena in a remote area, with a necklace of traditional charms around its neck.
The hyena had been found in a field near a small market, and the sight of the charms immediately raised eyebrows.
Local villagers speculated that the hyena might have been a person who had undergone a transformation through w!tchcraft, as hyenas are also linked with dark magic and malevolent forces in the region’s folklore.
One villager, who preferred to stay anonymous, commented, “It’s not normal for a hyena to have charms. It must have been someone who changed into the animal.”
This incident prompted a wave of discussions about supernatural occurrences and w!tchcraft, mirroring the reactions seen in Murewa.
