A 26-year-old woman identified as Rutendo Nhemachena has reportedly died during river baptism in Zimbabwe. According to reports, the woman was grabbed by a mermaid.
Nhemachena was said to have been possessed by a mermaid spirit before becoming violent and jumping into the river.
The incident occurred at Manyame river in Zimbabwe, where leading prophet, Isaac Manyemba was cleansing men and women with his aide only identified as Mai Manyika.
According to local media outlet, HMetro, the people who were with her believed that she had been grabbed by a mermaid and didn’t try to rescue her.
The prophet who confirmed the tragic incident said the woman overpowered him and seemed like she was possessed by a mermaid spirit.
In his words,
“The two convinced me and I led them to the river where we attended to a number of men and women when Nhemachena suddenly came into the river possessed.
“She pushed all of us and we failed to handle her before she immersed me and disappeared into the water.
“We were comforted by one woman who claimed that her child was once taken by a mermaid when he was seven years old and returned from water at the age of 14.”
However the woman’s family did not believe the claims and insisted she would not be buried until a post mortem had been carried out.
The family spokesperson, Patience Gwebede said,
“We are expecting the law to take its course as well as get an explanation from the traditional healer or Madzibaba and Madzimai who were conducting the cleansing ceremony.”
