Survivor of fatal blast says it was caused by beheaded goblin fighting back

A traditional healer and survivor of a blast at a house in the Zengeza 2 suburb of Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, that left five dead and a dozen others injured, claims the tragedy occurred during a cleansing ceremony in which an imported goblin was beheaded. The survivor, Ms Clara Banda, who escaped with minor burns and an eye injury, says the blast occurred soon after her counterpart, 24-year-old Speakmore Mandere, popularly known as Sekuru Shumba, beheaded the goblin. She claims to have miraculously escaped after failing to land the major role of conducting the ceremony.



In a state of shock, she ran to her nearby home soon after the blast. According to Ms Banda, transport operator Mr Clever Kamuyedza approached Mandere seeking help to dispose of the troubling goblin. He was to pay $15,000 for the ritual. “The tragedy fell upon us while we were conducting the ceremony to dispose of the goblin that this businessman brought to Sekuru Shumba,” said Ms Banda. According to the traditional healer, Mr Kamuyedza acquired a money-spinning goblin from a nearby country to boost the fortunes of his transport business.

He, however, decided to dispose of it after it started “to make extreme demands.’’ Mandere is said to have assembled a team of traditional healers including Ms Banda, to assist in conducting the ceremony. “After assembling the team, Sekuru Shumba invited Mr Kamuyedza, his wife and two of their associates to his home for consultations,” said Ms Banda. “The consultations lasted three days during which we discussed whether or not we could handle this kind of ritual.” Ms Banda said during the three days Mr Kamuyedza kept the goblin at home and only brought it to Sekuru Shumba’s lodgings for destruction on the fourth day.



“Sekuru was in the bedroom with three other men who were members of the group. I was with Mai Tsitsi (Mr Kamuyedza’s wife) and Virginia (another healer) in the lounge. “Other members of the group sat outside since the house was already packed. Sekuru Shumba beheaded the goblin. Clever (the businessman), subsequently, told his wife to collect the US$15,000 from their car that was parked outside. “That is when Sekuru shouted that the goblin was fighting back. All I remember after that is a loud sound coming from the bedroom. The walls of the house crumbled. Virginia and I struggled to get outside.”