Mysterious tree “came back from the dead” after being cut down

A Cape mahogany tree has become the talk of a local village after it came back from the dead.

The tree, known as mutshikili in Tshivenda, has dominated the gossip in Matangari village after “it came back from the dead.”

According to Mr David Makungo (37), who was cutting the tree for firewood, tree allegedly stood back up last Wednesday morning.

“It was about 11:00 when I was cutting this tree for firewood with my axe. As the tree was lying down on its side, I started by cutting the small branches of the tree from its top, so that I could cut the branches nicely. I then started cutting the branches. I chopped it with my axe for the first time, and then the second time.  At the third blow, the axe did not come out of the branch.  Within a second, the tree had stood up, back in its original position where it was standing before being pushed down by sand collectors four months back,” explains Makungo.

The axe also fell down immediately when the tree “stood up”. While still shocked by what had happened, Makungo rushed to his mother’s home, just a few meters away from the spot where the incident had occurred.

His mother, Margareth Mandada, said that her son came running to her home like a person who had seen a ghost. “When I asked him was happening, he told me the tree had just stood up.  I could not believe my eyes to see the tree standing, as I had seen it lying dead for the past months,” says a very amazed Mandada.

Confused community members who were gathered at the site also tried to push the tree down, but it stood firm. Chief George Nyamande was also informed about the incident telephonically. He told the petty-headman, Mashudu Makhado, to advise community members to stay away from the tree.

Mr Norman Mulaudzi said that he was present when the tree was pushed down by his colleagues, when he was still working for a sand-collecting company in August. “As we were collecting sand here, our boss instructed us to cut down the tree as it was obstructing us. Chimedza, George, Simba and Zwidzai Gondo, all Zimbabweans, are the ones who cut this tree until it fell on its side in August. They even cut the taproot and left it lying with some soil around its trunk and some dry wood.  Community members also started cutting the dry tree for wood.”

He added that they have stopped collecting sand from that place, because a complaint had been submitted to Chief Nyamande. “But this tree was dead and dry when I left this place.”

He said that he could not believe that the tree was standing in its original position. "Although I can see it, I still can’t believe it happened,” says Mulaudzi.

Community leader Itani Mutambedzi, from Matangari Tshiawelo, said that he was still trying to make sense of this incident. “I am surprised that this tree is still standing in its original spot, even though it is dry.  I don’t know for how long it will stand there. Maybe one day someone will come with the answers of what happened,” says Mutambedzo.

Date:06 November 2014

By: Ndivhuwo Musetha

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