Three men’s desires to get rich quickly turned fatal after they were killed in cold blood by two traditional healers following money making rituals.
The three men, Medio Kashiri, Petros Mwale and Antony Murombo Ndawana were discovered dead at Bata Farm in Bindura last week.
37-year-old Isaac Biningi, a self-styled traditional healer, has been arrested for the murders together with his accomplice Wilbert Vheremu.
According to the state’s case, Kashiri, Ndawana and Mwale approached the two sangomas seeking to procure some money making charms. The trio was advised to travel to Biningu’s homestead in Madziwa for some money making rituals.
The Herald reports that on April 23, the trio travelled to Madziwa in Kashiri’s Honda CRV vehicle. The three are reported to have spent the night at Biningu’s homestead after being told to wait until the next day for the rituals.
On the morrow, Biningu invited the three into his consultation room where he is alleged to have sold them a sandawana (tokoloshe). After that was done, Biningu and Vheremu took the three men through a series of money making rituals.
After the rituals were done, the two sangomas invited their clients to accompany them to Bata Farm. When they arrived there, Kashiri, Ndawana and Mwale were given opaque beer laced with poison.
The sangomas are alleged to have given the three a concoction containing the plant Boophone disticha. The subtropical plant, which is known as mudzepete in vernacular, has analgesic and hallucinogenic properties. It is also used to make poison.
The sangomas then allegedly strangled the three to death, after they became incapacitated from the concoction and the poisoned opaque beer. According to the state, the two traditional healers then recovered their sandawana from their clients. They also stole an undisclosed sum of money from the three.
After the murders, the two sangomas went into hiding in Dotito. However, law enforcement officials were up to the task and managed to track and apprehend the traditional healers within days.
However, while being transported from the village t Bndura Central POloice Station, Biningu attempted t escape from custody by jumping out of a moving vehicle while in handcuffs.
He appeared in court on a stretcher due to the injuries sustained in the escape attempt. He is facing charges of murder and escaping from lawful custody.
The two traditional healers were denied bail and remanded in custody to May 27 by provincial magistrate Mr Tinashe Ndokera.
