A Marange apostolic sect man has literally sent his wife to her deathbed after he threw away her medication into a pit in keeping with his religious convictions. The incident happened in Chamba Village, under Chief Chiwara in Gutu last week.

Chandafira Mutereri (65), who cut his wife’s genitals with a razor blade in a bid to enlarge the birth canal and sewed her up with twine and a needle after she struggled to give birth at their rural home in Chamba village on 11 January this year, refused to take his wife to hospital despite being directed to do so by Child Care Workers (CCWs). 

Chandafira, who confessed that his church does not allow him to seek medical attention, said that he used the razor blade to help his wife like he always did on all her previous pregnancies. He said he did the same on his late first wife’s and saw no problem with that.

Nyevero Dumbu (33), who not only suffered the genital wounds but also burns on her left leg after she fell into a fire on 15 November  last year after an epileptic attack, was then taken to Gutu Mission Hospital on 19 January by her family where she was diagnosed with peuperal psychosis, a mental state  which might have been caused by the infections from both wounds.

Nyevero stayed in hospital for two weeks and was discharged on 4 February after she was seen to be responding well to treatment.  Her senses were recovering and the wounds were healing well as confirmed by the doctor who refused to be named.

“We hope that everything will be back to normal soon if she takes her medicines well as prescribed. Peuperal psychosis is a normal condition which a lot of women undergo after giving birth. Nyevero’s is however different since she spent some time before being treated but I believe that she will be well. Her wounds are healing and now she is breastfeeding her child,” said the doctor the day she was discharged.

Her family took her home and made sure that she took her tablets and Tanyaradzwa, her child received all the necessary immunisation from Majada Clinic.  Chandafira later requested to take his family back home and they agreed. When the relatives visited her three weeks after she left, they found her sick again, refusing to breastfeed  her child or eat and losing her senses.

“I asked her if she was taking her medication and she told me that Mutereri had thrown them into a hole and had told her that they had sinned against God.

“She also said that Mutereri had taken the baby, together with Nyevero, to the church elders for cleansing since they were regarded as outcasts because they had gone and sought for medical assistance.

“He told us to leave his family alone because we were the ones causing problems and disrupting his faith,” said Magaret Dumbu, Nyevero’s mother.

The family then returned to check on their daughter in April after neighbours told them nasty stories about the child’s health. “We found her worse, she was singing the ‘Ebenezer’ song in rugs and sitting in ashes. We took our daughter home together with her baby. Mutereri followed and requested his baby back saying we were intefering with God’s plans in healing Nyevero hence he needed only his child back and said that my daughter was going to die because of us and that we should keep her.  I was so hurt and angry and we chased him away. We then called him back last week and told him that we were taking her back to hospital. He said we could take our daughter but not his baby. We hired a car and tricked him by asking him to hold the child for a moment up to Ranga Township where we wanted to buy the child milk and he agreed.  That is how he ended up at Gutu Mission Hospital with her. He is now forced to stay there because he does not have transport money,” explained Phillip Taruona Dumbu, Nyevero’s father.

The family is worried that their daughter is going to die and there is nothing they can do about it because Mutereri has already corrupted their daughter’s mind and caused permanent damage both  physically and psychologically on her.

“Mutereri does not care if our daughter dies.  He is used to that. His first wife died in the same manner in 2003. She was our neighbour  here in Chamba Village and we all knew her. She was our brother’s neighbor. After she had complications giving birth, Chandafira together with his church mates used a knife to cut what they called ‘ruhona’ which they said would kill the baby. She did not stop bleeding until she died,” said one of the family members.news

Gutu Rural District Council (GRDC) has written to the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing requesting permission to take over water supply management from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) which council accuses of mismanaging the service and depriving councils of it dues.

GRDC CEO Alexander Mutembwa said council was in dire need of revenue, which could be raised through water rates.

“We have challenges with the payment of rates which is potentially council’s biggest revenue source. The unfair part is that ZINWA is using council’s water infrastructure but is not remitting the money to us, leaving us with nothing but bills to take care of.

“If we are given control over water supply, we will be in a position to disconnect defaulting users most of whom are relaxed now, knowing that council cannot take measures if they do not pay,” said Mutembwa.

He said the Rural District Council Act, Chapter 34 (1) gives rural local authorities (not ZINWA) the right to control their water supply system ZINWA of disadvantaging council of the much-needed revenue.

“We are using a tractor for refuse collection which is a setback as the same rubbish will spill all over in transit. We cannot afford to buy a refuse truck because of lack of financial resources.”

Gutu United Residents and Ratepayers Association (GURRA) coordinator, Lloyd Mupfudze welcomed the move saying he hoped residents would have a say in matters of water supply.   

“ZINWA officials are not public representatives and are not accountable. They have mismanaged water supply for far too long and that’s why we have erratic and poor quality water supply,” said Mupfudze, adding that giving control rights to council is in line with devolution and decentralisation of local governance.

Since being appointed the national custodian of water bodies and supply services, ZINWA has been accused of running down systems through corruption and gross mismanagement.

ZINWA has been responsible for the water plant and reticulation system all along, What we want to do is to bring them under council control to enable us to deal with defaulters in the residential areas by disconnecting water supplies. At the moment, we cannot do it because we do not control the system," said Gabriel Mapepa.news

Zanu-PF members in Masvingo are in serious trouble following their failure to honour their pledge to donate one hundred herd of cattle to President Robert Mugabe, this publication has learnt.

The pledge was made after Mugabe had donated 300 cattle to the African Union (AU) early this year but the province has failed to get even one herd of cattle amid revelations that Mugabe is now demanding the cattle. 

Speaking at a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting at Masvingo Polytechnic College last Saturday, the provincial executive raised concern over the President’s cattle saying it was now embarrassing that they have failed to honour the pledge.

“Let us see what we can do, there is nothing to give to the President and yet he is waiting for the donation …it’s now embarrassing comrades,” said Ailless Baloyi.

Baloyi pleaded with party members to make fresh pledges to be taken to Mugabe as a matter of urgency.

Baloyi suggested that a fresh call for donations be made so that all party members from various corners of the province would contribute.

However, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Shuvai Mahofa, said it was not proper to force people to donate when they are already starving.

Mahofa said it must be clear that donations are voluntary.

 “The problem today is that people are hungry and they are starving in rural areas…let us not force villagers to donate please. If there are people who wish to help us out of this problem, they should come to my office and make their donations.

“The ordinary folks out there are thinking of how they can get maize for their families so we should not force these donations on anyone,” said Mahofa.

Mahofa said initially Tongaat Hullett had pledged to donate the 100 cattle but a few weeks later, the sugar company denied ever making the pledge.

“I was informed that Tongaat had pledged and I wrote a letter thanking them for the noble gesture but they replied me saying they never made such a pledge,” said Mahofa.

Mahofa however went on to say that there was a mist over the donation issue adding that only the then  Zanu-PF provincial chairperson Paradzai Chakona could able to give an explanation.

However, Chakona could not be reached for comment by the time of going to press.news