End Of Thokolosi Terror For Thamaga Family
Pini Bothoko | Monday February 12, 2018 15:17
After many months of no rest, the family sought spiritual intervention and this past Saturday, the Hefesia Christian Church from the neighbouring Moshupa village descended on the homestead for over-night prayers.
Arriving in Thamaga village on Sunday early morning The Monitor team did not struggle to spot Kesiilwe’s yard as we were directed by the church’s singing that could be heard from a distance. The singing was spiced up by the sound of bells that accompanied the energetic singing and dancing.
There, we found church members spotting colourful church attire that included flowing robes and head gear with star and cross motifs, performing a dance known as go chaa terese.
Around 6am the church that had spent the whole night singing and praying, started to direct their prayers towards removing the creature alleged to have been terrorising the family.
In the midst of praise singing and dance, with about five young men dancing in fast speed in the middle of a circular shaped like stage, suddenly a lad jumped with his eyes closed as if he was beaten by snake and ran towards the house.
Few church elders followed him with one holding a plate full of course salt, leaving the congregation singing as if oblivious to what had just happened.
The boy and the elders continued running around the yard, forcefully opening at some instances breaking the closed doors as if they were chasing the alleged creature.
The young man came back holding something like a dead bat in his mouth, running towards the congregation that was also singing animatedly and vigorously clapping hands.
The three other young men who were in a dance spin, accompanied by the church’s Archbishop Kebonye Motsamai continued running around the yard, digging out more strange things.
The lad who appeared to have been on a trance ran into the house, and came out holding a four-burner stove, went back in, and came out, now holding a tail of a snake about 30cm long with his mouth.
With people looking in amazement, the lad got out again running, still with his eyes closed, to the back house which stores a traditional beer (Khadi) that is sold to the community, inserted his hand inside the full 100 litres bucket of traditional beer and came back holding something that looked a leg of a hyaena.
Another lad got inside another house and came back holding a bag of ditaola (traditional doctor’s bones) claiming that it was all along hidden inside the house with the family not aware of it, something he said brought bad luck to the family.
The young man also dug in front of a two-and-half house and brought out something that looked like a weeding ring, declaring that it is the one that has been hindering marriages in the family.
The lad also removed the handcuffs that they also claimed to have been hidden inside another house all along without them noticing. He told the family that the handcuffs were hidden there to put there to hinder progress of any type.
While the expected thokolosi was never uncovered, the church claimed to have prayed and chased it away.
After the ceremony, Rranko Kesiilwe 81, head of the family said even though he and his wife were members of UCCSA, he sought prayers from a different church because in the past they prayed for his daughter who was bed-ridden until she got healed.
He stated that the troubles bedeviling his home started about two years ago and on separate occasions they had strange attacks.
“For years we have been living a miserable life terrorised by something that we don’t know hence we sought prayers. I am hopeful that from today we will no longer have sleepless nights,” Kesiilwe said.
Asked if they have ever heard or physically seen anything to suggest there was a thokolosi, Kesiilwe’s response was; “Re ntse resa tshele sentle gotlhelele ngwanaka, ga rena botsogo sentle rea tswenyega (we have not been living well my child).
If we are troubled by a thokolosi, I am wondering who could do such a thing to my family. We are in trouble and really need prayers.”
But the old man said he could not attest to what was really troubling the family. He explained that it was not his first time to seek spiritual intervention following the terror.
At the end of the ceremony, Archbishop Motsamai assured the family that their troubles were over.