By A Coreespondent-Two women from Bindura tragically drowned on Monday while performing rituals associated withmanjuzu—a mermaid spirit revered in some African traditional beliefs—at the Nyaure River in the Chief Masembura area.
The incident has left the local community in shock and drawn condemnation from traditional leaders, who accused the group of violating sacred customs. It has also reignited debate over the controversial and often misunderstoodmanjuzuspirit practices.
According to reports, five young women, led by a self-styled prophet, ventured into the wilderness to perform spiritual rituals. What began as a quest for healing and spiritual elevation ended in a double tragedy.
“I went with the women to pray and to invoke the mermaid spirits.
Each had personal issues they wanted addressed. During the process, one of the women was taken by the spirits. We rushed into the water to rescue her, but one of them drowned—and so did my wife,” said the prophet.
Headman Masembura expressed outrage over the disregard for traditional protocol and warned against tampering with sacred water bodies without proper guidance.
“These are sacred waters inhabited by spiritual beings.
You don’t just go there without consulting traditional authorities and following established rituals,” he said. “We asked what they were doing and the prophet told us he had brought rice, sweets, biscuits, and wine to appease the spirits of a deceased person. In this river, we’ve never heard of mermaids before, but the spiritual realm is complex and not easy to understand.”
In recent years,manjuzurituals have become increasingly popular among young women seeking wealth, fame, or healing.
Believers claim those born with or spiritually aligned tomanjuzuspirits can achieve success if they honour them properly.
“The events here are disturbing,” saidSekuru Nzou, a respected traditional healer. “People claim to be mermaids or to be spiritually gifted, yet lack the training and spiritual insight required for these dangerous rituals.”
He added, “There are realmanjuzuand fake ones. The fake ones often use dark magic, even veering into Satanism.
There are three main types ofmanjuzu: those who receive visions and collect herbs from rivers, those who bring wealth, and those connected to dreams. You need deep spiritual understanding before engaging with them.”
Nyasha Simon, an expert on African spiritualism, echoed similar sentiments.
Source: Zimeye
