In Chief Saurombe’s community court last Sunday, tensions flared as Matthew Chinawa, 36, presented a sh0cking accusation against his mother, Jane Muterandova.
Manica Post has it that he claimed that her affair with his late father’s brother was the source of his mysterious illness—an illness he believes to be a punishment from his father’s restless spirit.
For the past four years, Chinawa has suffered from unexplained seizures resembling epilepsy.
In his fervor, he recounted visiting multiple traditional healers, all of whom supposedly confirmed that his mother’s infidelity redirected his father’s vengeful spirit towards him.
“My father is turning in his grave because of my mother’s betrayal,” he asserted, his voice shaking with emotion. “Instead of taking responsibility, she has made me the target of his anger.”
In response to her son’s claims, Muterandova unequivocally rejected the allegations, maintaining that Chinawa’s illness is a consequence of his own actions. “He squandered his late sister’s bride price and sold his father’s cattle, inciting his father’s bitterness before his d#ath,” she explained.
“The car given as compensation by my late sister’s husband was sold off, with Matthew pocketing the money.” Her assertion was firm: “His father is angry because he never enjoyed the bride price, which is why Matthew suffers.”
Despite her denials, Chinawa remained steadfast in his belief that his mother was to blame.
He insisted he was justified in handling the bride price and maintained that she had no rightful claim to the car’s proceeds. “I shared the money with my uncle and brother; my mother is just deflecting blame,” he contended. He further emphasized his belief that his parents’ issues were the root of his father’s unrest. “My mother was involved with my uncle before my father d!ed, and that’s why his spirit is angry.”
The courtroom atmosphere grew tense when Chinawa leveled an explosive allegation, claiming that traditional healers told him both his mother and uncle were responsible for his father’s d@ath. “They said they k!lled him, and now she’s directing his anger towards me,” he exclaimed, stirring murmurs amongst the onlookers.
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Denouncing her son’s assertions, Muterandova admitted to a relationship with her brother-in-law but specified it occurred only after her husband’s demise. “I was never involved with him while my husband was alive. Now my son calls me a prostitute and a witch, which pains me deeply,” she lamented. She reiterated that her husband’s bitterness stemmed from Chinawa’s reckless behavior rather than her alleged infidelity.
To resolve the family’s conflict, Chief Saurombe proposed a collaborative approach. “This is a delicate matter that requires careful handling. The Chinawa family must come together with Muterandova’s relatives to consult traditional healers and seek appeasement from ancestral spirits for peace to return,” he ruled.
The proceedings concluded with the court adjourned, setting a date for the families to reconvene on March 2.
