The mythical picture
By Dickson Bandera
When Ellen Mulauzi, 49, and Ethel Nyabundu, 22, stepped into the cool waters of the Nyaure River in Manhenga, Bindura, they were not just taking a dip. They were performing manjuzu — a traditional water ritual believed to summon spiritual blessings, cleanse bad luck and connect with ancestral spirits that dwell beneath the ripples.
They never made it out alive.
On 28 July 2025, the Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed the two women drowned while conducting the ritual. Their bodies now lie at Bindura Provincial Hospital awaiting post-mortem. What was meant to renew their spiritual fortunes ended in a tragedy their families will carry for life.
Across Zimbabwe, such stories are all too familiar. From riverbanks to forests and remote shrines, desperate faith-seekers continue to risk life and limb chasing answers to life’s hardships — poverty, illness, heartbreak, bad luck — through rituals that demand absolute surrender, even to dangerous elements.
The manjuzu rite, rooted in ancient beliefs of mermaid-like water spirits, is particularly perilous. Devotees wade into deep pools, often under the guidance of spirit mediums or self-styled prophets who promise wealth, protection, or spiritual cleansing. There are rarely safety measures, no life jackets, no emergency plans. Sometimes, participants are made to immerse themselves alone at odd hours when rivers run cold and currents are strong.
Many rural communities cling to these rites, seeing them as part of an unbroken ancestral chain that modern life cannot sever. But each drowning is a cruel reminder that tradition, when mixed with desperation and recklessness, can be fatal.
Local leaders and police have repeatedly warned against blind trust in unregulated spiritual escapades. Yet the warnings often fall on deaf ears, drowned out by the powerful grip of poverty, fear of misfortune, and the persuasive promises of spiritual ‘guides’ who exploit the vulnerable.
As the bodies of Ellen and Ethel wait for burial, the question lingers: how many more must die before communities rethink rituals that demand people surrender their safety in the name of salvation?
