"We can't let sangomas roam free in our kingdoms. This man might be inspiring them to do more evil in our land. If we let them live in our kingdoms then we will always have man like Mutapa carrying out missions like these in our land," Mambo Gwati argued.
"But the truth is these people are out there. They might be hiding in the shadows and we don't know what they are planning in those shadows. What if Mutapa trained some of his own to avenge his death?" Mambo Gwati said.
"We banned all sangomas because they had chosen to rule over us. They hated that we traded with the Portuguese people. They waged war against our land and we did what we had to do to in order to stop the chaos they had caused. Our people lived in fear of the sangomas who scared them with horror stories about the ancestors," Changamire Zama said.
"Banning them was the first mistake that we made. We should have just killed those who wanted to take over our land. The people should have a choice to choose between following the ancestors or following what the Portuguese taught us. Banning the sangomas will cause further problems. We encountered Murape, now there's Mutapa. Who know the next problem?" Mambo Wasu argued.
"At the same time if we let sangomas roam free in our land they will always oppose us. We can't let them live because the power they possess will always be tempting for them. This explains why they all chose to attack our kingdoms. They want power and they will go to any depth to get this power that we possess. It's not just about customs and traditions. But these people believe that they have more power than us and that they deserve to rule instead of us. They have to be banned," Mambo Gwati countered.
"Our fathers consulted these sangomas when communicating with the ancestors. Some of our fathers were appointed to the throne by these sangomas. I agree that they might become powerful at times but we can't banish them from our land. Because if we banish them, they will meet each other out there and form a group of sangomas that will be very hard to stop. One man almost destroyed our kingdoms. Imagine what will happen if a group of sangomas unite with one goal of destroying us," Mambo Tenda said.
"We have to allow them in our lands. But they have to be warned that they should just do their ancestral work. As kings we must design their duties and stop them from becoming too powerful. Otherwise we will always have problems with these sangomas," Mambo Wasu said.
"It seems like we can't agree on a certain course of action. Here is my proposal; you will choose what to do with sangomas in your kingdoms. For now we have to prepare for tomorrow. Mutapa will receive his judgement tomorrow. Let's all rest," Changamire Zama said.
The kings dispersed from the court. The day went down and Mutapa's hut was guarded. Mhare made sure that the warriors were exchanged in case Mutapa would try to manipulate them into releasing him.
He also kept checking on Mutapa in the hut all night. In the morning, Princess Ruva came to him with beef biltong and sadza. "Everything will be over today. At last we are going to be together," she said as she smiled.
"Your father hasn't spoken to me about this. I am afraid he's angry at me or there's it's a test. He's just quiet," Mhare said.
"I am sure he has more important matters at hand. He has to deal with Mutapa first. I am sure after that you will marry me," Princess Ruva said.
"It's like he doesn't see me at all. We haven't talked since yesterday. It's like he's avoiding me. I don't understand it all," Mhare murmured as he chewed on the biltong.
"He's the king, Mhare. You can't expect him to attend to you like a baby. He has important things at hand. Relax, he approved of this. Let's wait for him," Ruva said.
Mhare nodded and finished his food. Ruva left as she went to attend Tanaka who was still mourning the death of Muchenjeri. That same morning families began burying the bodies of their loved ones who had been lost in the battle.
They began preparing to go to the king's compound to wait for Mutapa's judgement. Soon, people began pilling up in the king's compound. The kings prepared to sit and give Mutapa his judgement.
When the kings came out, the people began singing and dancing around the compound. Mutapa sat in his hut as he heard people celebrating his day of judgement. His heart began pounding as the reality finally hit him.
He remembered Makosi's words and those of Gora before they died. They all predicted his death and he wished that he had listened to them. His heart pounded more when he heard footsteps approaching the door. He could see various warriors gathered around the heart through the gaps in the poles.
Mhare came in and unfasted Mutapa's hands and feet from the wooden pole. He helped him to stand and took him outside. At the door, two warriors held his arms and led him before the kings. When the people saw him, they began celebrating him more.
He stood before the kings and Changamire Zama motioned for the people to remain silent. Danda stood up and said, "Today we come here to have this man judged by the kings. I will leave everything to the kings and they will tell us the way forward."
Changamire Zama rose to his feet and said, "Mutapa is not different from witches. This man used his dark magic to kill innocent lives. He destroyed four kingdoms and he has to be punished for that. All witches in our land have one punishment; they are beaten severely and burnt alive."
When the king said this, the people ululated and drums began pounding. Mutapa's heart melted when he heard his form of judgement. His eyes filled with tears and said, "Ancestors you have forsaken me. I did this for you. Why do I have to suffer for avenging the death of my fathers-people who served you faithfully?"
Mhare laughed and said, "You brought this on yourself. The ancestors have nothing to do with this. You killed innocent people and in the process we caught you. Every deed has a reward. Death is your reward."
The people sang for a moment as warriors prepared to beat Mutapa. They took him to a tree where his arms were tied around the tree. The warriors beat him for a moment and gave the kings the opportunity to beat him.
Mutapa cried as the people exchanged to beat his back. Some commoners were also given the opportunity to beat him until he couldn't cry. "I can't die like this!" Mutapa cried out.
As the people beat him, women continued to sing as they celebrated the fall of their enemy. As they finished beating him, some warriors gathered a lot of logs and began lighting them on fire.
The remaining warriors untied him from the tree and dragged him towards the fire. Mutapa looked around and saw a spear lying around on the ground. He pretended to be powerless and fell to the ground near the spear.
He took the spear with his right hand and stood up swiftly. Most of the warriors were without their weapons and they stood afar when Mutapa got hold of the spear.
"I am Mutapa! I am the only man annointed by the oil from the ancestors. The power within me is so great that none of you is worthy to kill me. Only I can kill a man like me," Mutapa said.
He swung the spear into the air and pointed it towards his stomach. "No!" Mhare shouted as he ran towards Mutapa who quickly used all his power to stab himself with the spear.
He fell to the ground as blood began oozing from his stomach. Mhare removed the spear and said, "It will take you a few moments to die because of this sword. And now, you will die because of the sword and the fire."
Quickly, Mhare and a few warriors lifted Mutapa from the ground and threw him in the fire. Mutapa screamed in agony and pain as the fire began quenching his skin. He experience dual pain from the stab wound and the fire.
People shouted in happiness when he landed in the fire. They all watched as he fidgeted in the fire. He tried to escape from the fire but a spear penetrating his chest brought him back to the fire. He tried to escape from the fire a few more times but the warriors guarded the fire until he gave up his ghost. The people continued to watch as the fire consumed his body to ashes.
***
Sadza- a thick porridge consumed in many parts of Africa. In Zimbabwe, it is the staple food. It is called tripe in South Africa or pap in countries like Nigeria.