Woman suspected of trying to terminate pregnancy, dies at house of sangoma

HARARE – A Kuwadzana woman died at a suspected sangoma’s place in Tafara last week amid reports that she was attempting to terminate her pregnancy. She was reportedly dropped at the ‘doctor’- Mai Doricah’s lodgings by her boyfriend, with her wares including cotton wool.

The incident occurred at the Lambika residence, Hambakubvi Cycle and the deceased was only identified as Mai Precious and it emerged that she is a mother of one.

People gathering around the house intending to have a glimpse of the deceased and because of the lapse in security (no police officers were present) some even attempted to break windows to gain entry into the room where the deceased lay.

She was reportedly found dead on the sangoma’s bed moments after she entered the room, with foam on her mouth and a plate of porridge near her suggested that she might have been fed with a concoction.

A close source said that Mai Doricah served the deceased with a plate of porridge before she went out and only to be called after she had died.

Sources at the house revealed that they were called into the house only to find her dead, frothing from the mouth and her legs open making people think that she wanted to have the pregnancy terminated. They revealed that the deceased had been seen visiting her doctor for the past three days.

“She was dropped here by a guy in a green tracksuit bottom. She was limping and breathing heavily and she asked for Mai Doricah and I knocked the door for her. She entered the room and she slept on the floor. She then went onto the bed and she was served with porridge,” the source said.

Our source peeped into the room and saw foam coming out of her mouth and called the elders and Mai Doricah was called back.

“It was then discovered that she had died and we learnt that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy,” said the source. The plate of porridge was reportedly taken to the police station. The house owners were finding it difficult to control the mob “vanhu varikuti tisu tauraya munhu uyu”

The landlord said he did not know of Mai Doricah’s healing works and that she had stayed at the house for only three months.

“I do not know of her healing powers and it does not concern me. All want is my rent at the end of the month and whoever she brings and what she does is her business. It is however sad that something like this has happened and it paints a bad picture of my house as people are saying all sorts of things,” he said.

Mai Doricah could not be located as she was reportedly in the hands of the police and the alleged boyfriend was just ‘stuck’ at the police station, presumably pondering his next move. Sources said that Mai Doricah is not a traditional healer. Her mother is the healer.

Some residents who claimed to have information on Mai Doricah described her as a ‘mobile’ clinic and well known in the pregnancy termination trade. People were shouting “mai ava havagone kurapa vanongotora mari chete. Ndobasa ravo rekubvisa vanhu nhumbu.” “vatori ka mobile clinic”

Other residents said people should learn from such experiences to avoid losing lives unnecessarily.

“Vamwe tirikushaya vana vamwe vachibvisa. There are many ways of preventing unwanted pregnancies these days, condoms, pills, injections but people still go for unprotected sex yet they do not want the end result” said some residents.

The Harare provincial police spokesperson was not available for comments. H Metro