Harare, Zimbabwe (News of The South) – Chief Nyajena has issued a strongly worded statement regarding the escalating outbreak of lice, known locally as “tsikidzi,” in the overcrowded Mbare area of Harare. While acknowledging the long-standing issue of overcrowding and potential hygiene concerns, the Chief emphasized a spiritual dimension to the infestation, urging the government and the nation to consider traditional and spiritual consultations alongside conventional methods.
“Mbare is overcrowded, this is not new. The outbreak is severe, and while filth in the area could be a contributing factor, the appearance and increase of tsikidzi is spiritual,” Chief Nyajena stated. He highlighted the seemingly resilient nature of the lice, noting reports that they are “dying and coming back to life” despite the use of various products.
Drawing parallels with past national outbreaks, such as worms affecting maize, which he claims mysteriously disappeared, Chief Nyajena suggested that not all such issues can be resolved through purely physical means. “Tsikidzi (lice) are very spiritual,” he asserted, referencing historical occurrences in his own Nyajena area where unusual animal behaviors, like monkeys interacting with goats, were seen as spiritually significant.
Choef Nyajena further elaborated on the spiritual interpretation by mentioning instances of “zvinhu zvemapa,” where lions might appear but only target animals, not humans. According to Chief Nyajena, these unusual happenings serve as a form of communication between God and the people, a sign that traditional and spiritual leaders need to be heeded.
The Chief pointed to a recent outbreak of “kanga” (a yet unspecified pest) in Nyajena during 2023/2024 that worried elders due to its impact on livestock. He believes the current lice infestation in Mbare warrants similar spiritual consideration.
“As traditional chiefs in Zimbabwe, we need to look into this tsikidzi (lice) issue. If not spiritual, then we need to get on top of tsikidzi. How come they are not dying after using so many products?” Chief Nyajena questioned.
He expressed serious concerns about Mbare’s role as the main long-distance bus station, warning that the pests could soon spread across the country. “Very soon these pests will be in hotels, and international visitors will get bitten. This will bring about a lot of shame to Zimbabwe.”
Chief Nyajena passionately urged immediate action, calling for a two-pronged approach: spiritual consultation and effective pest control measures. “The prayerful people, this is their time to pray and participate in the problem-solving. Traditional leaders need to act. All Zimbabweans should participate in resolving this problem, just the same way we fought COVID-19. We don’t know what diseases people can eventually contract from being bitten by tsikidzi,” he cautioned.
The statement from Chief Nyajena adds a unique and potentially controversial dimension to the ongoing efforts to address the lice outbreak in Mbare, highlighting the deep-rooted cultural beliefs that persist alongside modern approaches to public health challenges in Zimbabwe. It remains to be seen how the government and the wider community will respond to this call for spiritual intervention.
Harare belongs to the Mbari clan, the royal family of Harare a d descendants of King Mbari the former ruler of the city and wider territory around Harare. The Harare Kingdom was destroyed by British who colonised the country and till today the Kingdom has not been rescuscitated. Calls for restoration of the Chieftaincy began as far back as 1980 when Zimbabwe gained Independence.
These calls have been ignored but the owners of the land who were killed fighting for their land continue to figjt spiritually. Many other spiritual occurences have been noted in Harare and the government has approached the Mbari clan to resolve the problems but the restorstion of the chieftaincy is an issue they continue to ignore. Meanwhile the spirits of the land declared they will continue to fght until Harare’s Chieftainship is restored. More occurences and spiritual problems are to follow according to the Mbari spirits. King Mbari was a powerful and spiritual King who has a lot to do with spirituality of Zimbabwe, this includes knowledge of areas where spiritual interruptions have occurred and onmy the Mbari clan can resiove these issues however without restoration of the Kingdom the ancestors will not resolve the problems. This is a reality that Zimbabweans have to face and resolve. Mbare itself is a very spiritual area in the Harare Kingdom and it was named after Paramount Chief Mbari although the spelling was corrupted, till today Zimbabwean government has failed to correct the name. Harare utself was named after Paramount Chief Mbari who never slept due to helping people. Harare means the one who doesnt sleep. Harare is also a corrupted name which should be spelt Haarari.This too has not been corrected, The Zimbabwean government’s failure to restore Harare Chieftainship till today shows how they are not taking traditional and spiritual issues seriously.
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