Posted by:
W von Papineäu
at Thu Nov 29 11:22:43 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by W von Papineäu ]
Paperboy Note: This one is a bit of a 'reach' for a 'tortoise care forum', but I added it as a 'cultural note' to illustrate some of the issues surrounding herps in other countries. When discussing herps in foreign lands, one should be aware of the myths and sensitivities surrounding even the most innocuous of critters.
That said, I'm stangely attracted to the idea of having 'Guido, the Enforcer Tortoise' amble over to my neighbours to inquire as to the return of my hedge clippers.
respects, Wes
TIMES OF ZAMBIA (Ndola) 22 November 07 Copperbelt Tortoise Shocker! (Potipher Tembo)
Ndola: Resident of the Copperbelt have in the past few months been awakened to a rude shock as incidences of animals and birds descended on some unsuspecting families with warning messages in letters strapped on their backs.
Some shrewd businessmen who have found this phenomenon as the best and quickest way to retrieve their monies from people who owe them have perpetuated this bizarre practice.
In history, it is pigeons that were known as the best senders of mail in far-flung areas to communities. Dogs have also been known, if well trained, to send parcels and messages to others.
But the stories coming out of the Copperbelt in the past two months have rather been odd. Letters delivered on tortoise backs and pigeons to a number of people who allegedly owe large amounts of money and apparently fail to pay on agreed dates have rather unsettled many, including those that may not be superstitious.
Because it is strange for anyone to see a tortoise strapped in clothes and beads and an envelope on its shell addressed to them. Some people who have been owing tortoise senders have been quick to pay back what they owe because of fear of being killed through witchcraft.
Incidences of tortoises being bearers of messages to creditors have not been so common in Zambia and when such things happen, a lot of concern is raised. Though such incidents have been reported in the past, the one that seemingly raised a lot of concern was the one in September in Kitwe in which a businessman, Mando Ngulube, woke up to a rude shock and fear when he received two life-threatening letters delivered to his home by a dove and a tortoise.
A white dove believed to have come from Nakonde landed at Mr Ngulube's Parklands home with a letter strapped to its legs. The letter to Mr Ngulube demanded that he settled the outstanding K50 million for the Fuso truck he had acquired or he faces severe circumstances. The following day, a tortoise wrapped in a white cloth and strapped in white, blue and red beads with a small coffin on its back delivered a similar letter.
In both letters, written in Namwanga, the author complained that he was suffering while Mr Ngulube was enjoying himself despite owing him K50 million.
In Ndola early this month, residents were shocked when they found a tortoise carrying a tiny unidentified animal skeleton and a letter demanding payment of over K38 million from a local businessman, Mumena Mushinge. Some people going for work in the morning discovered the tortoise outside the gate of House number 7 President Avenue carrying a letter addressed to the occupant of the house.
The letter written in Swahili was reminding Mr Mushinge to pay back K38,480,000 debt as per promise. Other businessmen who recently received life-threatening letters delivered by tortoises were Luanshya residents, Philip Mike Shimoomba and Gelson Mwale. What really boggles the mind is that, no sooner did these tortoises deliver letters to Ndola and Luanshya than another tortoise last week delivered a letter to a Kitwe magistrate, Phabious Numbwa, with a message demanding the release of two prisoners whom he allegedly jailed.
The tortoise which was found in court two in the afternoon was wrapped in chitenge material and carried a letter written in Bemba demanding that Mr Numbwa releases two people whom he had convicted to enable them resolve the problems the families were facing.
The letter also suggested that Mr Numbwa should sort out the problems facing the families of the two unnamed prisoners if he did not release them.
"Twapapata, fumyeni abo abantu babili mwatuma kuchifungo. Ifyenu fyenu, ne fyesu fyesu. Ngamulefwaya ukulanda naifwe mulaishe abobene abaletele inkalata (please release those people you have convicted because they have left problems at home otherwise you will have to sort them out yourself. Yours is yours and ours is ours. If you want to talk to us, send the message to the same tortoise that brought the letter," reads the letter.
In Mr Ngulube's case, when he acquired the truck, he made part payment of K20 million and was supposed to settle the remaining K50 million in 40 days. It was after he failed to fulfill the promise that the letters were sent to him. "I defaulted for 40 days and tried to give them K25 million which they refused. At that time the people I dealt with then told me they were actually not the owners of the truck but that it belonged to someone from Nakonde," Mr Ngulube said.
Earlier, the sender of the dove and the tortoise warned Mr Ngulube not to involve the police, as doing so would invite severe consequences. However, after protracted negotiations between the dove and tortoise sender and Mr Ngulube's family, it was agreed that Mr Ngulube pays the remaining K50 million although the sender wanted him to pay K100 million for defaulting.
Mr Ngulube's uncle travelled to Nakonde to pay the money after his mother insisted that only what was owed was to be paid and that Mr Ngulube would not travel to Nakonde himself but his uncle. But the question is: How possible can anyone send a dove or a tortoise or indeed any other creature to deliver messages? According to many people, this could only be done through black magic or in simple terms, witchcraft.
However, Emmanuel Mulenga of Ndola, who is one of those that received a life-threatening letter through the tortoise said the creatures were just dumped at the residences of the people who owed some money to desperate businessmen who badly needed money.
Mr Mulenga said someone he knew was seen with a sack outside his yard pretending to be urinating by the wall and when he left, the tortoise was found with a letter. "This is an extortion. Some people are using these creatures to instill fear in people who owe them so that they pay more than they owe. Everybody fears to die and so you are forced to pay," Mr Mulenga said.
In his case, he said he owed the man who brought the tortoise to his place US$5,000 but he paid him $14,000 because he knew him and just wanted to help him because he was in big financial quagmire.
"He was demanding that I pay him $35,000. I only paid him $14,000 because I owed him only $5,000 and he is a friend who is in big financial problems and I thought we needed to help each other. He brought the tortoise because he wanted to scare me but I don't fear man to kill me but God. This man threatening others with creatures is trying to offload the burden he has to other people. This is not as it should be," Mr Mulenga said.
He advised other businessmen owing colleagues to pay just what they owed and not more because that would be promoting the scheme.
"Those who are doing this should follow normal channels. There are laws in Zambia which can assist them get their money if they fail to get it in a normal way. Zambia being a Christian nation, we ought to sort our matters in a Christian manner. We should not solve our problems as if we do not know God. Nobody should get things from others in a wicked way," Mr Mulenga said.
Another man who was sent a letter through a tortoise is a businessman Mushinge who said he knew the person who sent the tortoise with a letter in a bid to recover money, which he did not owe.
"It is very embarrassing that someone could send a tortoise to recover the money I do not owe him. If I want to borrow, I borrow from banks. It is a serious criminal offence for people to send threatening letters to people who owe them and I don't know why such people are not arrested because they are known. These tortoises have even started going to courts to threaten magistrates. It is total anarchy," Mr Mushinge said.
He said the suspected tortoise sender (whom he mentioned) should make a public apology that what he did was wrongly done to him or else he would take legal action against him.
"The suspect should be picked up for threatening violence. If I am owed a lot of money, I will not take the law in my own hands. This is totally unlawful. The sending of the tortoise to my former residence in Ndola has a serious effect on my family and I demand a public apology from this man sending tortoises," Mr Mushinge said. He added that the tortoise was, however, sent to a wrong house because he left Ndola for Lusaka three months ago. In magistrate Numbwa's case, the tortoise, which delivered the letter to him, was found near the bench close to where accused persons usually sit.
However, Mr Numbwa said he was not moved by the letter, which he suspected to have come from one of the prisoners who had come from Kanfinsa Prison. "This has not moved me because I don't even know the people the letter was talking about," Mr Numbwa said.
Many people have attributed the sending of tortoises to witchcraft. Last week some clergy on the Copperbelt described as shameful how some people in Zambia have embraced and were idolising witchcraft. Life Gospel Fellowship Ministries International overseer, Joseph Kazhila, said it was unfortunate that people were blatantly threatening fellow citizens through witchcraft.
"Such actions whether witchcraft or mere threats are evil and authorities need to ensure that they are deterred. Since there were provisions in the law against the practice of witchcraft, there was need for authorities, especially the police service, to ensure that this was enforced.
"Even if the sending of tortoises was not witchcraft in itself, there were still possibilities of instilling unimaginable fear in the victims, leading to possible death," Bishop Kazhila said.
He said people should refrain from taking matters in their own hands and ensured they exhausted all channels of seeking justice and that was why courts were there when someone defaulted. Pentecostal Holiness Church in Zambia Copperbelt conference overseer, Innocent Silwamba, said witchcraft was real but people should not fear if they lead an upright and holy life.
But the question persists: Can people really send tortoises for any mission?
According to 15-year-old former satanist and wizard who declined to have his name published, a tortoise is a messenger and can be sent to deliver any message if one was properly trained in witchcraft or satanism.
The now converted Christian youngman said in satanism and witchcraft, there was a place called the "wisdom of the tortoise" that is only known by witches.
He said a lot of businessmen go to this place to learn just like people go to school but they need to have patience.
"When you turn a professional, you can send a tortoise to deliver any message because it is a patient creature. Professional and local witchcraft are two different things and I can tell you that witchcraft is now advanced in Zambia and more people are turning pros. I stayed in the underworld for three years and I know what I am talking about," said the youngman adding that it was by the grace of God that he quit satanism and witchcraft.
All said and done, and although fairy tales do sometimes come true, it's probably not the best idea to train your tortoise to race against a hare. Nor is it best to train it to deliver death messages to people who owe you.
There are better ways than this.
Copperbelt Tortoise Shocker!
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 ZMB Press: Copperbelt Tortoise Shocker! - W von Papineäu, Thu Nov 29 11:22:43 2007
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