Mysterious Creatures

In February 2012, the water resources minister, Samso Nacoma, was asked to explain the reason behind the cessation of work on several dam sites, including Matar, Manikaland, Gawkwar, and Midlands. Government workers at these sites reported being harassed by entities in the water. The workers were updating and installing new water pumps when they began experiencing unusual occurrences, which they believed to be mermaids or water spirits. Some workers were terrified and refused to return to the dam sites unless the mermaids were appeased. This caused confusion and skepticism among those in charge, and one suggestion was to bring in foreign workers who were not exposed to the reports and cultural beliefs. However, the foreign workers also reported experiencing strange happenings at the sites, ranging from rocks being thrown from the water to something trying to grab them as they worked. The workers claimed that some people had vanished from the sites, while others had been chased off. Unfortunately, the work had to be stalled due to these occurrences, and it was discovered that the population would not receive an adequate water supply without the dams functioning.

The workers could not explain why so many pumps had stopped working simultaneously. Divers equipped with aqualungs were sent to investigate the cause of the failures, but they reported feeling terrified of something in the water and seeing unexplainable things down there. They vowed not to go back into the water again. Traditional rituals were determined to be necessary to appease the water spirits and allow work to continue. The rituals involved traditional healers performing various acts, including brewing traditional beer. This seemed to work, and when the workers returned, they reported that the atmosphere had changed, and they were able to work undisturbed. This experience caused significant disruptions and delays, and it is fascinating to consider how it might have played out in a government committee-style meeting.

It's possible that the belief in mermaids or water spirits at the Gawkway Dam could have led to some kind of mass hysteria event. The rituals performed by locals may have acted as a placebo effect, causing people to perceive them as effective and therefore believe that they wouldn't be bothered by the spirits anymore. However, this wasn't the only time such sightings occurred. Five years after the initial incident, in February 2017, locals reported seeing mermaids basking on the banks of the dam. This led to an incident in which two young people who were herding cattle at the dam drowned after trying to catch what they believed to be a big fish, which turned out to be a mermaid. Witnesses reported that the mermaid had pulled them down into the water. Similar incidents had occurred in the past, and as a community, rituals were performed to calm down the water spirits.

The authorities investigating the incidents refused to comment on what they believed may have happened, but they did confirm that all bodies had been retrieved. These events were reminiscent of an incident that occurred in 2000, where two men drowned in a local dam after reporting that they had seen a mermaid and were going to catch it. The locals believed that they had been taken by whatever was beneath the water.

It is intriguing to hear how the locals in the area speak about the water and its creatures. The chief in Mandara avoids going near the area because he finds it eerie, and his wife believes that the mermaid arrived at the village's dam after it was constructed. She recounts seeing a narrow, towering whirlwind in the distance, moving towards the lake. When it met the lake, she heard a loud splash, as if a boulder had been thrown. Another woman doing her laundry believed that it was a water spirit, or rather a mermaid, that had come to live in the water. The chief also mentions that after the whirlwind arrived, people would disappear around the dam and lake. Unfinished laundry would be left behind on the rocks, as if abandoned. The chief's son also had an experience where he took the family dog fishing near the dam, and heard a sudden shriek.

However, for those who believe in mermaids, especially ones taking people beneath the water, this seems to be a crux. Three villagers from Mapanzur Communal Lance in Mass Finger disappeared after plunging into a pool under mysterious circumstances. The three were apparently performing rituals on the banks of the Mughal Sweezy River before jumping into the pool. Two other villagers who jumped into the water re-emerged and were rescued after a prayer session. The identities of the missing three have not been disclosed, and their relatives are conducting rituals for their safe return.

A group of three individuals went missing after they plunged into a small pool during a ceremony in a village called Chief Mapping Duo in Mass Fingo. According to an update a week later, two bodies had been discovered, while the third was found the following day. It was a strange incident that shocked the villagers and raised suspicions among locals about what exactly happened. The incident occurred during a ceremony where a pastor was allegedly casting out demons from one of the congregants. The three unidentified men had accompanied the pastor to the river for the ceremony when they suddenly disappeared after speaking in tongues. After some time, the pastor saw a man on the water and rushed in to save him. Another man resurfaced after an hour, but the other three men remained missing.

Some people believe that this was the result of a fake prophet trying to trick people, while others think that the prophet might have purposely disposed of individuals he didn't like. Others believe that something truly out of the ordinary occurred. From a physiological perspective, it is unlikely that a person could hold their breath for an hour, so it is unclear how the man resurfaced unharmed after that amount of time. Additionally, it seems strange that three people could disappear in such a small pool. All in all, there are many unanswered questions about what really happened during this mysterious incident.

There is an update on a tragic incident in which three people drowned and disappeared during a ceremony conducted by a prophet, Chittori, at a rocky pool at the foot of the Mavera Hills. The bodies of the victims were not found until the seventh day after the ceremony. During this period, there were mysterious trembling sounds that emanated from the hills and continued intermittently for the next week.

Chittori expressed his shock and disbelief, stating that he had never experienced anything like it in his life. The incident occurred when Figuera, who had come upon human burns while walking in the hills, believed that he was being haunted by a spirit and needed to be cleansed. He and a group of nine others, including Chittori, approached the pool to perform a baptism. Locals claim that the pool is not deep, as kids often play and swim there.

As the group prepared for the ceremony, they began speaking in tongues and ran towards the pool, plunging themselves in. A huge trembling noise emanated from the pool and the hills above, and forces they could not understand shoved and pushed them under the water. Although they struggled to escape, they did not bump into each other, and they did not gulp any water. Chittori was able to raise his hands to signal for help before mysteriously finding himself thrown out of the pool and lying on the ground.

Of the nine people who entered the water, five of them, including Chittori, were able to get out. The remaining three, however, disappeared, and locals believed that they had been taken by mermaids. On the seventh day, the first body was found, and the other two bodies were found on the following two days. This is perplexing, as the pool is supposedly small and shallow, and it is unclear how the bodies could have been submerged for so long. It is possible that the bodies were not in the water for the entire time, but this remains unclear. The incident has left many in shock, including Chittori himself, who is struggling to comprehend what happened. The disappearance of three people under mysterious circumstances begs the question of where they went and who or what may have taken them. Taz Figuera, who believed he was being haunted, claimed to have seen little people that he referred to as goblins. Zimbabwe has seen many incidents involving these little people, and some schools have even been under investigation by the education ministry after reports of goblin attacks. Parents claim their daughters were attacked in classrooms by these creatures, who were said to have transformed into baboons.

The belief in goblins and witchcraft persists in many parts of rural Zimbabwe, with sightings reported seriously in both the state and private press. Even in absurd situations, goblin sightings are taken very seriously. For instance, a family once believed that a lodger had accidentally brought a goblin into their home, which had taken refuge in a suitcase. The family claimed that the little creature purposefully frightened everyone inside and stole things. They took the suitcase to the police, who heard screaming coming from the charge office and rushed to see what was happening. An officer recounted a bizarre incident where a creature jumped out of a suitcase brought by a family along with a traditional healer to a police station. According to the officer, the creature was so strange-looking that everyone in the room fled in terror. While some police officers described the creature as a snake with a dog's head, others said it was a dog with scales like a pangolin, but they all agreed that it had an awful smell. Although the deputy police spokesperson stated that they were investigating the incident and it was too early to conclude whether it was an act of witchcraft, members of the community suspected that it was the result of witchcraft. These stories can be difficult to comprehend, especially as they are so far from the norm. Some incidents in which the community believes that little creatures are involved can be more serious. For example, in the village of Ziggowini in Zigola, residents live in fear due to invisible creatures believed to be goblins, which have been terrorizing them since the previous year by taking their children, livestock, and destroying their crops. Two families lost their children due to goblin attacks in September of the previous year. Although a prophet claimed to have eliminated the goblins, residents are once again experiencing attacks on their cattle, allegedly by goblins. The cattle owner complained that every morning they would find another deceased cow in different homesteads, and so far, 30 cattle have been found dead in the area. Villagers are seeking traditional interventions to cleanse the area, suspecting either goblins or someone using voodoo for these incidents.