Is it true that Robert Mugabe uses inyangas (African witchdoctors) in his quest to keep his position as "The Dictator of Zimbabwe"? This is a question which has intrigued me since I first heard some Zimbabweans talking about it. I spoke to a few Zimbabweans whom I met and this is what they say:

"Sylvia" says, "Do you know that Robert Mugabe and President Hastings Banda of Malawi were good friends? Do you know also that Banda was Mugabe's foremost inyanga when he was alive? It is said that the spirit of Banda lives on in the body of Mugabe."

"Michelle" says, "Mugabe keeps a goat, and whenever he has to leave the country, he asks the goat if it is safe to do so. If the goat's head stays down, then it is safe, but if the goat lifts up it's head and looks at Mugabe, he will not leave the country. The goat was given to him by an inyanga believed to have great powers."

"Polly" says, "Mugabe's inyangas have invoked all his ancestors who guard him with their spirits. Don't you see that he doesn't seem to get old? Don't you see how afraid the people are of him? They are afraid that his ancestors' spirits will haunt them if they go against him. It is said that they (the ancestors' spirits) have torn many people apart, limb from limb."

"Luwellyn" says, "Mugabe is an African and, of course, he uses inyangas. It is a part of our culture to consult with an inyanga, on anything from penis-enlargement to possession by evil spirits. I would be most surprised if someone told me he did not use inyangas."

"Joseph" says "It must be true because I have heard stories of Mugabe and the inyangas since I was a little boy. Inyangas are not known for their good deeds because there are very few who practice good witchcraft. Mugabe is an evil man and I believe that he has inyangas who help him invoke spirits. The invoked spirits must have been evil and turned him from a good man to the evil person he has become."

Now, I, have never been to Zimbabwe nor have I ever met Robert Mugabe, but I live in Africa and I know of the native Africans' fear and respect for the inyangas or sangomas (traditional healers), etc. I, personally, find these stories partly amusing and partly plausible, but mostly, it seems more like scare tactics to me. Knowing the fear native Africans have of the inyanga, Mugabe probably uses this to make the people "tow the line" as such. It is most probably propaganda spread by Mugabe's supporters to keep the people in fear of him. Mugabe is, afterall, just a man.

Whatever the people may say about Mugabe, you have to admire the man for his ingenuity in using the fear of the people against them. This is not to say that I condone what is happening in Zimbabwe, but then, this is not a story about the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Learn more about this author, Erica Gazzane.
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