A former detective appearing before Zimbabwe’s High Court in Harare has claimed that invisible goblins tormented and compelled him to carry out a shooting that left four people dead and four others wounded.
Jaison Muvevi, 42, faces murder charges in connection with the deaths of local religious figure Chrispen Kanerusine, 62, police inspector Maxwell Hove, barman Munashe Majani and a fourth man named Nyarai Round. Muvevi, who denies murder, told the court the goblins had been haunting him and directed him to drive to a church shrine with his mother before ordering him to open fire.
His defence lawyer Jackie Sande described her client as clearly “unhinged,” telling the court that state witnesses had confirmed Muvevi appeared restless on the day of the killings and had been “haunted by goblins.” She also noted that he had kicked the bodies of his victims after the shootings, including that of the police officer he had shot. Following the incident, Muvevi fled to Mozambique, where he was subsequently apprehended. He was at the time married to three women in different towns and had seven children.
The trial is continuing.
The case reflects deeply held beliefs in parts of Zimbabwe, where goblins — said to be visible only to those they are tormenting — are a significant feature of folk tradition and are frequently cited in connection with misfortune, illness and unusual behaviour. Courts in the country have on previous occasions heard cases in which defendants or witnesses have attributed events to supernatural interference.
