In another case that seems stranger than fiction, the avenging spirit, ngozi, of a man who was murdered almost half a century ago keeps making fresh demands on the killer’s family. The ngozi is reported to be seeking to be compensated for the third time, saying the family should top-up on what they paid already.
According to the Manica Post, Erick Mashairenyi confessed to killing a person only identified as Chizemo in 1974. Mashairenyi was furious when he learned that Chizemo was in a relationship with his sister, that he killed him with the help of a friend only identified as Musoni.
Following the brutal murder, Mashairenyi claims that he later took the preemptive step to appease the spirit, even before it had started causing misfortunes in his family. He said that he was advised by the late Sam Mutambara, who was the traditional chief for the area, to pay 18 beasts as compensation in the 1980s.
He hoped that his preemptive actions would spare him from the wrath of the avenging spirit. He was wrong. In the 1990s, Mashairenyi is reported to have become mentally ill. His condition gradually worsened until he started living on the streets.
After numerous consultations, the family was informed that the mental illness was being caused by the ngozi. Mashairenyi’s son, Tapuwa, said the avenging spirit demanded 8 more beasts as compensation, to bring the total to 26 beasts.
Tapuwa claims that after the family paid the compensation in 2009, his father recovered from the mental illness.
No more than 10 years later, the spirit is reported to have demanded yet another top-up. According to the Mashairenyi family, the spirit is now demanding 2 more beasts as well as some traditional cloths.
The Mashairenyi family are now saying that since Musoni was involved in the murder, his family should help in paying the compensation. According to people from the area, the Musoni family has been unscathed so far and has not faced the wrath of the avenging spirit.
Tapuwa also accused the Chizemo family of not performing the necessary rituals after receiving the compensation. He said that this was the reason why the avenging spirit kept coming back demanding more top-ups.
However, Chizemo’s daughter Sarah insisted that the family would only perform the necessary rituals once they had received all that is due to them.
