Six Hurungwe Men Convicted for Destroying Spirit Medium’s Property

Six Hurungwe men have been convicted by the Karoi Magistrates Court for destroying a house belonging to a man claiming to be a spirit medium (image source)

Six men from Hurungwe in Mashonaland West have been convicted and sentenced for destroying property belonging to a local man who claimed to be a spirit medium, following a violent dispute rooted in land allocation and traditional beliefs.

The accused — Kingrose Madyara (58), Wilson Kamudungwe (58), Norman Kavande (50), Progress Madyara (35), Tapiwa Chipazaure (35) and Liberty Chipazaure (30) — appeared before the Karoi Magistrates Court, where each was handed a 10-month prison sentence, largely suspended under various conditions. Three months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, one month was suspended on condition that restitution is paid to the complainant, while the remaining six months were suspended on condition that each accused completes 210 hours of community service.

According to the State, the incident occurred in April 2025 in the Joga area, where the six men allegedly acted together to demolish a two-roomed house belonging to the complainant, using their bare hands. The court heard that tensions had been building since 2023, after the village head allocated land to the complainant, who claimed spiritual entitlement to the area.

The complainant told the court that he was possessed by the spirit of Goremusandu, a renowned spirit medium, and that this justified his claim to the ancestral land. The accused rejected the claim, accusing him of being a “scammer,” before taking the law into their own hands and destroying his property.

In passing sentence, Magistrate Patience Madondo strongly cautioned against vigilantism, emphasising that disputes involving land and traditional beliefs must be resolved through lawful channels. She said taking the law into one’s own hands undermines justice, social order and community harmony.

The ruling highlights persistent tensions in some rural communities where traditional belief systems intersect with modern legal frameworks. It also reinforces the judiciary’s stance against vigilante justice, underscoring that property and land disputes, regardless of cultural or spiritual context, must be addressed within the confines of the law. The complainant is expected to receive restitution, while the convicted men will serve their community service sentences.