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When nature mourns a man of faith

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A CONVOY of buses and lorries passesthrough the small farming town of Marondera carrying pilgrims — predominantly members of the Anglican Church of Central Africa (CPCA) —heading for their annual commemorations of the country’s first black martyr, Bernard Mizeki, at his shrine a few kilometres out of town.

A CONVOY of buses and lorries passesthrough the small farming town of Marondera carrying pilgrims — predominantly members of the Anglican Church of Central Africa (CPCA) —heading for their annual commemorations of the country’s first black martyr, Bernard Mizeki, at his shrine a few kilometres out of town.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

Pilgrims attending the Bernard Mizeki commemorations
Pilgrims attending the Bernard Mizeki commemorations

The weather, however, is unforgiving. The cold is biting. The sky is cloudy and it is drizzling. The drivers exercise extreme caution because the road ahead is almost shrouded in mist as they make their way to the Bernard Mizeki shrine.

The low temperatures, however, are not anything new. The faithful that spoke to NewsDay Weekender confirmed that every year in the first week of June, during the annual pilgrimage, the weather had always been gloomy.

“I have been living in Marondera for the past 25 years and it is true that each time the pilgrims converge for the commemorations, especially on a Saturday, the temperatures drop drastically. It is the coldest weekend of the year,” Theresa Mutangadura (46) of Dombotombo said.

The CPCA set aside the second week of June to commemorate the life of Mizeki, who is believed to have shaped the African Christian faith before meeting his death at the hands of those opposed to his Christian faith.

It is believed that Mizeki met his fate on a chilly and drizzly day and the weather patterns have tended to confirm it every year when his life is celebrated. The weekend of the commemorations, Marondera residents have observed, is probably the coldest of the winter season.

But is always a memorable weekend as CPCA members, clad in their traditional blue and white uniforms, churn out songs as they beat their drums and rattle their percussions.

According to the Meteorological Services Department, Marondera recorded its lowest temperatures yet this year last weekend — a minimum of 6 and 7 degrees on Saturday and Sunday respectively — as if to confirm the myths surrounding the commemorations.

For some Marondera residents, however, this has become a normal way of life.

“This is no longer news. We are now used to the change of weather patterns when the commemorations approach. Marondera is naturally cold, but during the commemorations, the temperatures are too low and this has resulted in people concluding that Mizeki was a sacred person,” Piwayi Goba from Cherutombo said.

Mizeki was born in 1861 as Mamiyeri Mitseka Gwambe in Inhambane, Mozambique. He was sent to minister in the then Marandellas (now Marondera) district among the Nhowe people in the Mangwende Mungati kraal.

He married Mutwa, a granddaughter of the Mangwende and a Christian convert, in March 1896.

Disaster, however, struck on the cold night of June 18, 1896, when he was dragged from his home and stabbed by his in-laws. Mutwa is said to have found him battling for his life and rushed to call for help. But as she returned where she had left him, she and the other people with her are said to have seen a great white light all over the place where he lay and heard a loud noise “like many wings of great birds”.

When the light eventually disappeared, the body seemed to have disappeared along with it. But over the years, the cold experienced on the night is said to recur around the same time he died.

Former CPCA Anglican Church warden for St Peter’s Dombotombo assembly, Daniel Masaiti, told NewsDay Weekender that he had experienced such “weather” since joining the assembly.

“I have experienced that for years. History has it that the weather patterns we experience around June 18, are similar to the weather on the day Mizeki was stabbed to death by his in-laws in 1896. The cloud cover, the mist and the light showers, are still experienced today,” he said.

He explained that according to the church history, Mizeki was forewarned by friends of the plot to kill him, but he vowed that he would never escape and leave his flock behind.

“That dedication and sacrifice can only be found in the true man of God. If it was somebody else, after being tipped of death, he would have fled,” Masaiti said.

CPCA spokesperson Precious Shumba — who is also a parishioner at CPCA St Michael’s and All Angels assembly in Mbare — said the low temperatures during the commemorations have become a well-known phenomenon.

“Each time we celebrate his life, even if the temperatures were high, the weather changes (Suddenly), with clouds gathering in the sky and occasionally some drizzle. It’s amazing. We believe this change of weather, while it is difficult to link (to Mizeki’s death) because of the winter season upon us, there is a connection,” he said.

For some, this is stranger than fiction, but to residents of Marondera and CPCA pilgrims, these are significant events that confirm Mizeki’s ministry and calling.