By Michael Magoronga
Villagers of Masiyandumbi Village in Gokwe are living in fear of crocodiles and mermaids that seem to have moulded a formidable combination to give villagers in the area torrid times.
Nyawaya Dam in Masiyandumbi Village under Chief Chireya has become a haven of mermaids and crocodiles that have been devouring livestock willy-nilly. In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish.
Headman Madzivazvido confirmed that villagers were having sleepless nights. He said while crocodiles were seen by everyone who frequents the dam to access water, mermaids were seen mostly by children of school going age.
“We have had a serious problem of late as mermaids and crocodiles have infested Nyawaya Dam. This is a man-made dam that was constructed so that people in the village can have water but it has become a danger,” said Headman Madzivazvido.
He said although the mermaids were yet to harm anyone, crocodiles have been on a rampage devouring livestock.
Not everyone gets to see the mermaids, but they are seen by children mostly while basking in the sun either early morning or later as they come from school.
“The crocodiles are causing havoc in the area. They have devoured cattle, goats and chickens belonging to villagers and we do not know what to do. To make matters worse, the dam is the one that supplies the whole village with water and it has become risky for people to go there but they have no option,” said Headman Madzivazvido.
Perturbed by this, the headman has since called for an elders meeting to discuss the taboo.
“It is a taboo to have mermaids in a dam that is within the community, it’s unheard of and we have since called for a meeting where we will discuss how best we can handle the matter. We cannot continue living with those things that are considered sacred.
We also fear for people’s lives that if we continue cohabiting with such creatures, lives will be lost so we need to act to save lives,” he said.B-Metro.
