Skyline-Chimanimani Road collapse linked to python killing
The death of Silas Mandiri from the Skyline-Chimanimani Road collapse is being placed on a python he had run over two weeks before his demise. The deceased is said to have run over a 3 meter long python nearly at the same spot where the collapse happened.
The Government of Zimbabwe blames a river for changing its course of flow which led to weakening the road. However, the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers’ Association (ZINATHA) president George Kandiero believes that the deceased should have consulted elders after killing the python because it is the cause of the accident.
“Pythons are endangered species and according to our tradition, running over and killing a sacred serpent can have sinister meaning. All he (Silas Mandiri) had to do was to consult a traditional healer to find out if there was anything behind the accident. He could have saved his life because the collapse of a road recently commissioned is an unusual event, ” George Kandiero says.
He further claims that people tend to rush to think that churches and prayers are all they need in such situations but that is not always the case because supernatural events occur and we need to respect that aspect of our culture.
Skyline-Chimanimani Road collapse linked to python killing
During a telephone interview with the Manica Post, Cynthia Mandiri wife to Silas confirms that her husband ran over a python and killed it. The family did not take it seriously and are not focused on blaming anything but grieving their beloved one.
The issue has taken various turns in what really caused the collapse. The general public believe the road was poorly fixed because of looting of public funds whereas the Government blames river meandering. The third party the traditional healers believe the python killed by the deceased is the cause.