Mt Darwin Family Abandons Church Path to Confront Ancestral Curse
MT DARWIN – A family from Dotito in Mt Darwin has temporarily set aside its Apostolic beliefs to consult a traditional healer, following years of mysterious deaths and afflictions they believe are linked to ancestral witchcraft.
The Gudyani family, longtime members of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church, claim that since 2009, their relatives—mainly under the age of 32 have died regularly during the months of August, September, and October.
Their struggle reached a turning point last week when 42-year-old Ezekiel Gudyani led thirteen family members to a Harare-based n’anga seeking answers and protection.
“People die from infancy up to the age of 32, mostly. They don’t go beyond that age. They die in the months of August, September, and October. So, when these months approach, we know that mourning is near,” said Gudyani, who carried staffs belonging to deceased elders.
In addition to the deaths, the family reports alarming health and social problems. These include paralysis, infertility in both men and women, mental illnesses, persistent skin rashes, and widespread unemployment.
Gudyani emphasized the gravity of their situation: “If you know a homestead where people die frequently, our homestead is worse.”
Spiritual disturbances further deepen the fear, with sightings of giant snakes, mysterious objects like charcoal strewn in the yard, and an unexplained gate placed on their property. Members say these signs often precede episodes of misfortune or collapse of family businesses.
According to the family, their suffering stems from a forefather who is believed to have engaged in black magic to gain wealth.
They say this act unleashed zvikwambo and zvidhoma—malevolent spirits blamed for their torment.
The evidence, they say, is chilling and undeniable. “We had an elder in our family who died and whose entire body was eaten by unseen things that we call zvikwambo or zvidhoma (goblins). The corpse had its lips, nose, and entire face bitten off, including the hands and feet,” Gudyani recounted.
The discovery of a trunk containing the deceased elder’s belongings abandoned in a cave added to the mystery.
The family also found charcoal and other strange symbols scattered around the homestead. These signs, they believe, confirm the presence of evil spirits and harmful charms tied to their ancestral past.
Years of consulting church prophets offered no lasting solution, leading the family to request permission from church elders to seek alternative healing.
“We even asked church elders for permission to temporarily suspend our religious practices so we could seek help from traditional healers to remove evil spirits, harmful charms, and other negative influences.
“We are tired of consulting various prophets without any lasting solution, and they are now trying traditional healers (n’angas) because they want help in removing evil spirits (zvikwambo) that are killing off their lineage,” said Gudyani.
The spiritual burden has strained family relationships and social bonds. Some relatives, they say, avoid funerals and refuse to offer condolences—even those living nearby.
“They also say that some relatives do not come to offer condolences or shake hands when there is a death,”Gudyani said.
Other family members have moved to foreign countries out of fear of being affected.
The curse, they believe, also affects love and marriage.
“The sons in this family are said to be unable to marry, and the daughters are also unable to get married. Those few who have the chance to marry are rejected, and the sons are also abandoned by women,” he added.
The depth of their suffering became even clearer when Mr. Gudyani shared another harrowing account.
“We have a male relative who died while his toes were rotting off, without being sick, and we couldn’t figure out what kind of disease it was. So, for us to come to a n’anga for help, even though we are apostles, it doesn’t matter, what we want is help to survive because we are dying off,” he said.
-MyZimbabweNews
