Okaku’s dead snake disappears

The dead snake that allegedly caused mysterious illnesses at Okaku in the Oshana Region recently, has disappeared from its grave. This is yet another mystery in a long line of strange happenings that left residents of Ondangi village in the Okaku Constituency baffled. It all started when five children allegedly found a mysterious snake fighting against a chameleon and stoned it to death. Moments later an elderly female villager turned up and allegedly demanded that “her snake” be given back to her - alive. What happened afterwards was an astonishing story. One of the children tried to attack other children with a panga. Another threatened to commit suicide by jumping into water, while others destroyed their textbooks, school uniforms, mattresses and started crying and slithering like snakes. The children were taken to hospital but their situation did not improve. One of the parents brought a witchdoctor from Windhoek to ‘cleanse’ the affected kids. Upon arrival the witchdoctor performed the necessary rituals and buried the dead snake. Not satisfied with the services of the witchdoctor, the parents turned to spiritual leaders. The leader of an Oshikango-based Pentecostal church arrived and carted the children away to the border town for intensive prayer sessions. When the children returned home a few days later, they were much better. But another shock was still to come. The spiritual leaders wanted to see the dead snake, but when they dug where it was allegedly buried by the witchdoctor, they found nothing. “Only a wooden cross and a few herbs were found buried there,” said Ruusa Ngwali, the mother of one of the affected children. An Anglican cleric described the mysterious happenings as the work of the devil. Father Tarah Shalyefu of Ongwediva accompanied a delegation of the Oshana Regional Youth Forum that visited the affected families on Friday in a show of solidarity. The chairman of the Forum, Ephraim Nekongo, headed the delegation that also included other youth activists as well as Anglican Deacons Hendrina Nekundi and Frieda Shityeni. Nekongo’s delegation donated mattresses, textbooks, exercise books, pens and a variety of foodstuffs. Handing over the donation, Nekongo said those affected are young people, therefore they fall under the umbrella body for the Namibian youth. “Since the news broke about the snake incident some people have made it a joke, but this is not a joke. That is why we are here to show our solidarity with the affected young people and their relatives and to be with them in prayer,” he said. Father Shalyefu delivered a message, urging the affected families to remain strong in their faith and to trust God. “What happened here is the work of the devil, but the devil always fails. “Our God the Creator is Almighty. The only problem is that sometimes we talk about our faith but do not live our faith,” he said before praying and laying hands on those affected. OKAKU PLACIDO HILUKILWA