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Fungai Lupande

Mash Central Bureau

The three people recently found dead at Bata Farm in Bindura were allegedly poisoned by two traditional healers they had consulted to perform money-making rituals. The trio was later strangled to death at the dam, the court heard yesterday.

Traditional healer Isaac Biningu (37) and his accomplice Wilbert Vheremu who is on the run, wanted to recover a sandawana (tokoloshi) and an undisclosed sum of money for the rituals, prosecutor Mr Clement Kuwanda told the court.

The deceased are Medio Kashiri, Petros Mwale and Antony Murombo Ndawana.

Biningu appeared before provincial magistrate Mr Tinashe Ndokera on Monday facing murder and escaping from lawful custody charges. He appeared in court on a stretcher bed due to injuries sustained after jumping from a moving police vehicle in a bid to flee.

He was remanded in custody to May 27.

Biningu is from Chikonamombe Village under Chief Madziwa.

Mr Kuwanda said Kashiri and Ndawana first encountered Biningu and Vheremu at a house in Unit L, Seke, in Chitungwiza while performing money-making rituals.

However, Mwale had known the sangoma since 2020. The trio allegedly engaged the sangomas and were advised that the rituals would be conducted at Biningu’s homestead in Madziwa.

The court heard that on April 23 this year at around 9am, Kashiri drove a Honda CRV registration number ABR 6239 to Madziwa in the company of Ndawana and Mwale.

The parties met at Biningu’s homestead and the following day at around 8am, the sangomas invited the trio into a spare bedroom where they were sold a sandawana before commencing the first session of the money-making ritual.

It is alleged that several rituals were conducted and the last session payment for the services were to be done under a Muhacha tree away from the homestead.

At around 8pm, Biningu invited the trio into his Toyota Corolla ZS registration number ABL 6133 while Vheremu took charge of Kashiri’s Honda CRV.

The court heard that they drove to Bata Farm where the sangomas allegedly laced opaque beer with poison and a concoction containing Boophone Disticha (mudzepete).

The pair administered the concoction to the trio before strangling them to death and dumping their bodies, and repossessing their sandawana and money for the ritual.

It is alleged the sangomas then parked the Honda CRV nearby.

The court heard that the pair went into hiding and relocated to Chisoko Village in Dotito, Mashonaland Central Province.

The bodies were discovered on April 25 at around 5am with blood and froth coming from their mouths.

On April 29, Biningu was arrested, but as he was being transported from Chisoko Village to Bindura Central Police Station, he jumped from a moving vehicle while in handcuffs. He sustained leg injuries and was apprehended.