Telephone off the hook

I got up this morning and found the telephone off the hook in the hallway.  We had not used the telephone at all the previous day.  There was the normal tone coming from the phone as if it had recently beeen removed and the handset was placed carefully on top of the telephone directory - not like it had accidently been knocled off onto the table.  Anither strange appearance!  There was no one in the house except my husband and myself.

Poltergeist again!

And who says that ghosts don't know anything about modern technology!

We have no idea where our poltergeist comes from - we have no children in the house - unless one counts the dogs!

Yesterday our remote control for the decoder suddenly stopped working - so did the remote for the television.  it would not allow us to change channels or to mute the sound.  having changed the batteries, recharged the existing ones and re inserted into the remotes - we gave up - obviously the remotes were worn out and useless.  After ringing our service provider and being told that there were no replacements in the country - we decided to give in and use the manual route - this worked well - probably gave us a bit of extra exercise as well!

The following morning I absently picked up the remote to change the channel and it was working again!  So was the remote to the television.

No explanation except that our poltergeist must have been at work again - but why? 

Our younger son is away at the moment and we have noticed that his dog is continually looking at what we see as a blank spot and growling.  i have suggested that the little boy and the dog are keeping us company in our son's absence  Perhaps the remote was also part of his plan - a little 'joke' ghost style!

Mom sells baby’s ear for US$20

Is this the sign of the times or just the way of life continuing - this report was in the Herald this morning


By Freeman Razemba

A CHIPINGE woman reportedly killed her 18-month-old baby and cut off one ear, which she sold to a Mozambican traditional healer for US$20.

Christine Hofisi (21) was allegedly paid US$10 with the balance to be paid later.

Police believe it was a case of ritual murder.

A fellow villager stumbled upon young Edmore Mutisi’s body in a bush and made a police report.

Deputy police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka yesterday said Hofisi was in custody assisting them with investigations.

The Mozambican — known as Maheza — is facing criminal charges in his home country after he was last year found in possession of 11 human skulls.

"The woman is from Chipinge Southdowns Estate and she strangled her son to death and cut off his left ear," he said.

Chief Supt Mandipaka said Hofisi hid the body in a bush before paying a visit to the traditional healer.

"The traditional healer is notorious for ritual murders in Mozambique. Hofisi sold the ear for US$20, but was given US$10 with the balance to be paid later," he said.

The child’s body was taken to Chipinge Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.

Sources close to the investigations yesterday said Maheza was in February last year arrested in his home country for possessing 11 human skulls.

He was released on bail and subsequently sneaked into Manicaland Province in September last year.

The whereabouts of the traditional healer are unknown though it is believed that he has returned to Mozambique.

In July last year, two cases of ritual murder were reported.

A four-year-old boy was found without his private parts while a woman’s corpse was discovered with the brain and other organs missing.

A Mutare man was also arrested last year, about 17 years after he allegedly offered his son to be killed by one of his friends — a businessman — for ritual purposes.

Eliah Mutengwende of Marange was paid Z$150 000 by the businessman identified as Lishon Masiyakurimain 1992.

Is this civilization?

A 39-year-old Chivi man allegedly killed his three-year-old son during a ritual to eliminate a fellow villager he suspected of having an affair with his wife.

Donnius Marume of Mhokore Village in Gororo communal lands appeared before Justice Tedius Karwi here facing murder charges following his son's disappearance during the ritual.

He denied killing the toddler, saying he discovered the boy had disappeared after recovering from a trance on the banks of Tugwi River where he was conducting the ritual.

Prosecutor Mr Lovack Masuku said in July 2006, Marume's son, Dominic, disappeared during the ritual conducted to kill one Dzingai Mhuru whom he suspected of having an affair with his wife.

However, Marume -- through his lawyer Mr Kossam Chuma of Chuma, Gurajena and Partners -- told the court he believed his son was still alive.

He said the boy could have wandered after being affected by the herbs he got from a South African herbalist who recommended the ritual.
Marume said he had gone back to the herbalist in South Africa after Dominic disappeared and was given more herbs.
He, however, gave up on the rituals and finding his son after the herbalist became hostile and threatened him, the court heard.
Jutice Karwi sitting with assessors Mr Eliphas Gweru and Samuel Mutomba reserved judgment to this week after the defence closed its case.
Charges against Marume arose in July 2006 when he returned from South Africa where he had gone to look for work and tried to lure back his estranged wife, Maria Garudzo who is Dominic's mother.
Garudzo, who is now deceased, said Marume should first pay lobola before they could live together again.

The court heard that Marume paid the lobola and Garudza moved back with him but the marriage allegedly turned sour after he claimed Dominic was not his son.

He reportedly went to South Africa to consult a herbalist who gave him herbs to administer on a small boy or sheep along a perennial river.

The n'anga said this would kill his wife's alleged lover, a fellow villager. It is alleged Marume took Dominic to Tugwi River and burnt the herbs. Marume, according to the prosecution, went into a trance after inhaling the smoke.
When he emerged from the trance, Dominic had disappeared. His wife made a police report leading to Marume's arrest.

Spook House

190 Mutare Road
Citroen Road Harare
Description:

Clive is a self-taught chef QBE (qualified by experience.) I’ve known the family perhaps three decades and he has always had a love of food: originally eating the stuff, which early on translated into the preparation of good square meals for family and friends.

The family went professional years back. Bronwyn trained under Prof Mike Farrell, locally, interning and working at Meikles Hotel and Inn on the Vumba.

Clive and Tracey, helped by various other relatives and in-laws, ran Hellenics amazingly successfully, then moved nearer their Greendale home, opening The Office, at Msasa. About a year ago the lease expired and they took over the then empty Spook House.

It’s softly, softly catchee monkey and, maybe nine months on, the main building and “gardens” are still very much a work in progress.

But if you don’t mind eating and drinking on a building site and a widely reputedly haunted one at that, Spook House may well be the place for you.

It was certainly pumping fairly early last Friday lunchtime. A friend seemed to know most of the punters and most of them sounded as if they were regulars, to the point of being permanent fixtures. - Extracted from Dusty Miller - The Independent. (23rd April 2010)

Group Capacity: 20 + people

I'm going to check this out = who knows what i might find!

Shock muti confession

From George Maponga in Masvingo (the Herald)

A Chivi man has sensationally admitted in court that he cut off the private parts of a fellow villager and mixed them with herbs to make a potion to sprinkle in a friend’s maize field in a bid to boost yields.

Self-proclaimed traditional healer Stanley Mutatisi (39) of Batorava Village under Chief Mandyangove said he believed the potion would ensure a bumper harvest.

Mutatisi and three alleged accomplices were arrested last week on charges of murdering and severing Jacob Ganyire’s genitals.

The other accused are Tafirei Tachiona (68), Nicholas Sarireni (35) and Robson Batorava, all of Batorava Village.

In his warned and cautioned statement to the police, which was confirmed at the Masvingo Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Mutatisi said he burnt Ganyire’s genitals and mixed the ash with something else to make a potion that he sprayed in a friend’s field at night.

He claimed the potion would result in bumper yields.

The four, who appeared before Masvingo provincial magistrate Mr Timeon Makunde facing murder charges, were not asked to plead.

They were remanded in custody to May 13. Mr Makunde advised the quartet to apply for bail at the High Court.

A passerby stumbled upon Ganyire’s body, which was in an advanced state of decomposition, a week after the alleged murder.

It is alleged that on April 17 the deceased was drinking beer with the suspects at a homestead in Batorava Village.

He took his leave and headed for his home at around 9pm, the State says.

The four allegedly followed Ganyire and waylaid him near a church in the village. The court was told that the four grabbed their victim by the neck and strangled and stabbed him several times with a knife.

Making contact

Sorry for the silence I have been having Internet and power problems- again! 

A friend of ours who is a motorbike fanatic and far from the sort of person you would expect to believe in the supernatural told me of two occurrences of physic activity he experienced.

The first was when his mother died.  He was away at the time and on returning to the house some days later he told me that he was sitting in his usual chair in the drawing room when his mother appeared to him and held a long conversation informing him that she was happy and no longer in pain.

His second experience came some time later.
He has always been a very kind person and looked after young people who were not having a happy family life.
One such young man was  wild but kind hearted and appreciated what he was given  in the way a lifestyle.
A week before he was killed in a senseless car accident he came to see me and it had been almost as if he knew he was not longer on this earth.  We talked and said a lot about life that day.

After his death he appeared to my motorcycle friend.  Again saying he was content.
Was this a figment of my firnd's imagination - or did these people appear to him and talk to him?