A self-styled traditional healer has been arrested in Mutare after he was allegedly found carrying two live snakes without the permits required under Zimbabwe's wildlife laws. Gift Kanodaweta (19), who is also known as James Malunga and reportedly operates under the name Sekuru Kamutungunde, was arrested in Chikanga late last month after allegedly being found in possession of a puff adder and a cobra.

The incidents occurred along Kazungula Road and the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road in Chinotimba, within days of each other. The attacks have intensified fears in neighbourhoods that border wildlife corridors, where elephants increasingly move through residential areas.