By Perpetua Murungweni
On October 14, 2024, a video of a 17-year-old boy from Masvingo town, who had allegedly ‘stolen’ an 11-year-old minor for rituals went viral.
Coupled with the video were voice notes narrating what had happened, to the point where the minor was rescued from the clutches of a supposed painful death, taking people’s memories back to the Tapiwa Makore story which is still fresh in people’s minds.
However, missing from the social media posts as is usual with many other viral social media posts was the agony faced by the mother of the alleged ritualist, who woke up to his son being demonized for almost becoming a notorious murderer.
Far from the rumors circulating online, teenager (name withheld for ethical reasons), who shared a friendship bond with the minor despite their six-year age difference has a troubled past that often makes him hallucinate, as his mother narrates.
The mother alleges that her son, who attends a local private college in Mucheke sometimes behaves weirdly and when it gets worse, hears voices instructing him to do certain things that included in this case, killing the 11-year-old boy.
Her voice shakes as she retells the story, recalling how she has endured one too many episodes of her son’s behavior since he was 14—a son she swore could never harm a fly just like any mother would say.
“I left my son in the custody of his paternal aunt going to South Africa to look for greener pastures when he was 14. Little did I know that over the two years I left him and his two sisters with their aunt, they were being abused. I also later found out that this left emotional scars especially on my boy, who then started behaving weirdly.
“This is not the first time he has done something this weird. He once ran away and was stopped by the police at the Tollgate walking towards Harare where he told police the same bizarre stories of ritual involvement and claimed he was walking to Harare,” the mother said, wiping tears.
She broke down again when she narrated how she believes her son had been initiated into the dark world, which may have been triggered by his abuse when he was younger.
“I don’t know what has gotten over my son, but I believe he needs help. He courageously opens up to police about his past abuse and sexual abuse by his aunt.
“He also said the said aunt forced him to participate in some rituals where she gave him a clay pot wrapped in a red cloth, subsequently wrapping his whole body with another red cloth,” she said.
The mother also said the teenager always claims to hear her aunt’s voice demanding that he either kills someone to survive or his parents will die instead. She worries that one day her son may wound up dead or worse still, kill a child and disappear into thin air.
“When I left for South Africa, all I ever wanted was the best life for my children. I never meant for them to suffer, but that decision has cost me dearly. I am desperate for my son to receive the support and healing he needs,” she said.
The mother dismissed allegations of drug abuse against her son, whom she vouches for his discipline through it all.
“I know my child better and I know he is not using drugs. He has always been a well-disciplined child and he is not a drug addict like what is being claimed in social media circles. He is just a boy who needs help,” the mother said.
On the other hand, the mother to the teenager’s 11-year-old friend he allegedly kidnapped for ritual killing said her son returned home safe and on his own, after having disappeared for two days and told them he was with his older friend.
She is neighbours with the family that almost robbed her of her son.
“My son ran truant from school on Monday October 14 after having lied to his grandmother. His grandmother later found out that he was not at school and threatened to beat him up, that is when he ran away from home.
“He later told us he slept under the bed at the teenager’s house, later going to the hills on Tuesday morning where they spent the night. Thankfully my son was unharmed and he told me his friend gave him a cloth to keep him warm at night while he kept warm by the fire.
She said the teenager was very close to her son, which took them by surprise when he came back claiming to have failed to kill her son because he did not have enough manpower to pin him down.
“His behavior raises a lot of questions about potential mental health issues or substance abuse,” said the boy’s mother.
“I don’t think this teenager’s behavior is normal. I think it’s true that he might have been bewitched by his aunt because there are so many stories around his growing up in the hands of his aunt,” the woman said.
Masvingo provincial spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe failed to confirm the incident saying the case was not reported to police despite the teenager’s mother confirming that her son spent a night in police cells on the night he returned home after disappearing with his minor friend.
“The police did not receive a missing child report, it’s something that we only saw on social media,” said Dhewa.
