Kwiba (Thief)

I was sitting on Adam’s porch, Adam was off somewhere, wandering as usual. I was entertaining myself by sitting in the blue plastic lawn chair reading a book.  As I am reading I hear a laugh and the crunch of stones that indicates someone coming up the path.

I’d know that beard anywhere.

“Johnathan!” I greet him enthusiastically. He comes to chisenga once or twice a week rain or shine night or day to do business.  For him, that means selling the metal tubs he makes as a tinsmith. Adam refers to Jonathan as superman, partly because of the sheer distances Jonathan bikes on his single speed, metal frame bicycle, and partly for his undaunted enthusiasm.

As we are chatting Jonathan informs me that they caught a woman stealing from my house in Mubanga.  I was saddened as well as angered by the news. Jonathan said they were waiting until I came home to deal with it. I decided it was best if I let it cool a little.

Two days later I was home. I talked to my next door neighbor; a chitumbuka woman who had moved into Mubanga several months ago. She told me in a mixture of English and chitumbuka what had happened. She told me all about it in detail because since she is the closest neighbor to me, she was afraid I would think she was the thief as often happens in Malawian society. The story goes as follows:

I pay Jonathan’s younger wife Tabiya, or Nya Kawonga (daughter of her family name) to get water and do some laundry once a month. Recently, I have added watering my garden on the days it does not rain. All in all her job is cushy and not very demanding. Anyway, she came into my yard when I was away to water the garden. She also took a container full of pumpkin leaves to use as dende (side dish) from my garden. This I don’t mind because I told them Kalibu (welcome) to my abundant greens since it is much more than I could ever eat at once. Tabiya also took some tomatoes to keep for me since they were starting to ‘yellow’ and that is when people pick them.

Malawians are opportunistic thieves. This means, most crime people will not premeditate a crime but when something tempting presents, they will not hesitate to capitalize on the situation. Malawians are used to just taking what they want of someone’s things because it is there, particularly from an Azungu (white person) because in their minds, I can just go buy another of whatever I want.

The thief was a woman named Nya Kayizi. She lives one compound away from me. We were on friendly terms when I first moved in. She loaned me a water bucket for months and gave me a bamboo matt. We greeted one another all the time. But after I heard she had stolen from me, I soon discovered she that she is what we would refer to in the states as a ‘Klepto.’ Nya Kayizi stole fire wood from one neighbor. She went to another’s fields and stole food. She is a serial thief and the rest of my neighbors are passive serial forgivers. Not me. If I let one person steal from me, everyone would steal from me. Anyway….

Nya Kawanga left my yard and Nya Kayizi saw. She figured that meant Karibu (Welcome) to her too. She walked straight into my yard which is completely fenced in with a tin gate. She did not even try to see if I was home but went straight to the back yard. She helped herself to about ½ a bundle of my firewood and a basket full of pumpkin leaves. My Chitumbuka neighbor confronted her saying, “This is Colleen’s house and Colleen’s things.” Nya Kayizi made some lame excuse that she thought it was Kayange’s wood (My landlord). My neighbor reiterated that it was not. Nya Kayizi ignored her. As she turned to go she saw my plump fat tomatoes growing along my house and helped herself to these too. Outside my gate she dropped the wood and went back for more. Several neighbors saw her including Nya Kawanga.  Nya Kayizi asked Nya Kawanga if she could have these things of mine. Nya Kawonga said she was not able to give Nya Kayizi permission. On that Note, Nya Kayizi took it anyway.

The next morning after I arrived home, we had a trail.

Basically witnesses to the crime gather with the victim and accused. We discuss what happened, assess guilt and charge a fine. A time period is given to pay this fine and if the guilty party fails then the village authority is involved. So this is how two men, Jonathan as translator, and about seven women including his Jonathan’s wife (Nya Kawanga), all of whom are my neighbors and the thief were gathered on my porch. After one or two women spoke it was obvious a case of blatant thievery. Nya Kayizi admitted to making a mistake. I charged her 1 full bundle of firewood to replace my stolen wood and produce. Then as a penalty for thieving I charged her a chicken. Everyone nodded that it was a fair deal. Nya Kayizi accepted.  It was set that she would deliver the goods through Jonathan.

I intend on killing and eating the chicken, or possibly giving it to Adam to keep for me if it was an egg layer. The last two chickens I had were stolen but no thief had been caught. Likely that fate will befall this chicken as well. I am not very concerned with what had been taken; it was all outdoor, natural and replaceable things. I was however, very concerned with the principle of the matter. I was concerned with the “I want, I take” attitude of the villagers. They never quite understood or believed that as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I was paid to live as villagers do, at the poverty level of the country. I was not rich before Malawi, and certainly not in Malawi. I planted my own garden, pedaled my own bike, and before the closest bore hole dried up, hauled my own water.  Jealousy and greed are so poorly veiled in the village.