A renowned witch-hunter, known as tsikamutanda from Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province, fell gravely ill right before a cleansing ceremony he was set to lead, causing the event to be postponed. Nqobizitha Moyo (27), who has been leading several such ceremonies in various villages, is critically ill due to suspected poisoning.

The sudden illness puzzled many who had traveled from distant places to attend the ceremony. Vincent Hadebe, the head of Ntulani Village, expressed his surprise when Moyo, the main figure of the ceremony, didn’t appear. He shared that Moyo’s team informed him about Moyo’s severe health condition, suspecting it resulted from consuming mopane worms.

Hadebe mentioned the village’s hope in Moyo’s abilities to help with the prevalent knee issues affecting many, including students. The event had significant attendees lined up, such as Chief Magama and other traditional leaders. The ceremony has been postponed in hopes of Moyo’s recovery.

A local, preferring to remain anonymous, emphasized the community’s understanding of the situation, recognizing Moyo’s esteemed role. Moyo gained significant attention after his involvement in addressing a peculiar knee ailment impacting students at Magama Secondary School. In previous ceremonies, he unveiled various witchcraft objects from homes and offered healing to affected students.

Back in 2021, Moyo’s services were sought in Mtshina Village, Tsholotsho, where he discovered a child’s body that had been unearthed and placed in a barn. Attempts to contact Moyo were unsuccessful as his phone was unreachable.