The husband of a woman, who died while giving birth under the care of a self-styled Prophetess, says he found his wife bleeding from the mouth and nose and lying in a pool of blood at a shrine.
Cephas Foya, 37, also lost his child in the tragedy.
He told H-Metro the Prophetess, widely known as Madzimai Rumbi, then followed them to the village where his wife was laid to rest and she was carrying a bucket with some human remains.
The body parts included teeth, intestines and umbilical cord and the bucket also contained some blood.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Cephas’ wife, Ruchiva Misoya, 36, succumbed to complications related to high blood pressure, which were confirmed by a post-mortem at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
She had sought help from Madzimai Rumbi for a home delivery even though some neighbours claim that she was coerced.
Madzimai Rumbi’s real name is Rumbidzayi Sanyamvura and she is well known in Glen Norah.
Cephas said he had to force his way into the shrine, which is located at Tanaka Housing Cooperative, after having been blocked by Madzimai Rumbi and her colleagues.
“My wife left home in good health to pray and I had no idea she was in danger.
“When I finally forced my way in, I found her bleeding and unresponsive. It was horrifying.
“I am confused and in pain, I cannot understand what kind of prayers were conducted over my wife.” He added:
“My wife left home walking without any complaints after Madzimai Rumbi asked her to come for prayers, hanzi vaidakumuyeresa asati aenda kuchipatara.
“She took time to return and I followed her there.
“Madzimai and her colleagues denied me entry claiming that my wife was delivering and I insisted I wanted to witness the delivery unaware that my wife had already passed on.
“When I forced myself into the shrine, I found my wife bleeding from the mouth and nose. It shocked me.”
He said he was left with a lot of questions but things were only about to get worse.
He said Madzimai Rumbi then followed them to their village, where the burial of his wife was being conducted, and she was carrying a bucket with teeth, umbilical cord and blood.
“I had some questions and I came to my senses when Madzimai Rumbi followed us to our village holding a bucket with teeth, umbilical cord, intestines and blood.
“Mudzimai wangu akatambudzwa asi arikurwisa kuti zvese zvibude pachena.”
Cephas’ wife died on Tuesday last week.
She left behind her husband Cephas and three children.
Her life was tragically cut short as she welcomed her fourth child.
Yesterday, H-Metro visited Madzimai Rumbi’s shrine and found an explosive neighbourhood where residents are calling for an investigation into the tragic death of Ruchiva.
“We urge the authorities to take strict action against unlicensed midwives running illegal maternity homes,” one resident said.
“Madzimai Rumbi has been giving false prophecies, claiming Ruchiva was in her tenth month of pregnancy and threatening her that she would die if she sought hospital care.”
Another resident said:
“We accompanied Ruchiva’s body to her rural home where we had to dig three graves before finding a suitable place.
“It was a deeply distressing experience.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
“Paibatwa ruware kusvikira vazochera pamwe.
“This has traditional connotations, chinamanenji hachifambisi chinomirira mavara acho awonekwe.”
Catherine Nyamapfeni, Madzimai Rumbi’s sister, said the tragic events have also left her in shock.
“I confronted her about the teeth and the contents of the bucket after Ruchiva’s death but she claimed the family was angry and that the husband would collect them later.”
Catherine said she sought help from the police, leading to Madzimai Rumbi’s arrest.
“We were terrified and had to enlist someone to pose as a relative to find out where Ruchiva’s body had been taken.”
Madzimai Rumbi has been ‘praying’ for people at the shrine for the past two years.
But, this was her first experience assisting with a delivery.
