The Deceptive Nature of Magic and Witchcraft: A Cultural Practice and Its Menace on Zimbabwean Society
Dylan Yanano Mangani 
& Temba Rugwiji
Issue: Vol.11 No. 7 2025 Issue Article 2 pp.355 – 366
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20251172 | Published online 29th July, 2025.
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This study critically examines the deceptive nature of magic and witchcraft as cultural practices in Zimbabwe and highlights its negative impact on society. Based on social conflict theory, the research explores how the belief in witchcraft fosters fear, suspicion, and social division, perpetuating conflict within families and communities. Witchcraft, often considered a form of cultural heritage, is scrutinised not only for its historical significance but also for the ways in which it undermines social cohesion and development. The study employed a qualitative methodological approach, using a combination of ethnographic accounts and a literature review to gather insights from local communities, traditional leaders, and scholars. By analysing narratives from individuals who have been affected by witchcraft accusations or practices, the research revealed the deep-seated anxieties and tensions that witchcraft engenders. This paper argues that although cultural traditions should be valued, harmful practices such as witchcraft must be discouraged to foster social harmony and progress in Zimbabwe. The discussion calls for a collective effort to address this menace and to reimagine cultural practices in a way that promotes unity, peace, and development. This study contributes to scholarship by offering a critical cultural analysis that challenges the romanticisation of witchcraft as heritage, presenting a framework for evaluating cultural practices through their social consequences. It adds to the discourse on cultural reform and social justice, particularly in postcolonial African societies seeking pathways to development grounded in ethical and inclusive traditions.
Keywords: Cultural practices, social division, Zimbabwe, social harmony, witchcraft.
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Dylan Yanano Mangani has ten years of research experience in African nationalist politics, focusing on Russia’s African security foreign policy, elections and electoral systems in Africa, nationalist politics, African organic crises, and the BRICS. He is a member of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS), the Institute for Local Government Management of South Africa (ILGMS), the South African BRICS Youth Association (SABYA), and the CoP BRICS Research Forum for 2023–2025. He has published research articles in accredited academic journals and presented papers at local and international conferences. His latest publications include book chapters titled Russia’s Search for International Recognition and Ontological Security in the Global South Post the Ukraine Conflict; A Critical Evaluation of Health Diplomacy as an Altruistic Underpinning of China-Africa Relations and Praetorianism and Political Transitions in Lesotho: A Critique of the Lesotho Military.
Dr. Temba Rugwiji obtained his Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLit et Phil) degree in October 2013 at the University of South Africa (Unisa). He has worked at various Universities in varying capacities, including University of Venda (postdoc), University of South Africa (research assistant), Mukhanyo Theological College, KwaMhlanga (part-time lecturer) and Tafany Enterprises Private Limited (Marketing manager), among others. Dr Rugwiji is an ordained minister in a Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe. He traverses between South Africa and Zimbabwe to minister at congregations in Pretoria and Chinhoyi, respectively. Between 2018 and 2021, Dr Rugwiji served as a research fellow at the University of Pretoria. He has travelled widely internationally such as in Europe and United States of America, where he presented papers on various themes. Dr Rugwiji’s most recent conference attendance was the SBL International meeting in Salzburg, Austria (2022) where he presented a paper on virginity testing in Zimbabwe which has since been submitted for peer-review. Dr Rugwiji has published widely including peer-reviewed articles in accredited Journals. His most recent chapter published by Palgrave carried the following title: “The political landscape and a culture of deceit in postcolonial Zimbabwe: Scholarly discourse under siege” (2023). Dr Rugwiji’s research interests include but not limited to the following: African heritage, a contextual reading of the biblical text, creationism, hermeneutics, indigenous knowledge systems, postcolonial liberation theology, among others. Presently, Dr Rugwiji is working on a project that critically engages Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection.
Mangani, Dylan Yanano, and Temba Rugwiji. “The Deceptive Nature of Magic and Witchcraft: A Cultural Practice and Its Menace on Zimbabwean Society.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 11, no. 7 (2025): 355–66. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20251172.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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