It is said to never offer a strange woman on the roadside a lift at night, no matter how distressing her circumstances, as you will be picking up a witch and are sure to meet sudden death. Where did this saying come from, and when would the deeds of the Good Samaritan go unpunished?
The origins of these very prudent superstitions lie 40 to 60 years in the past, when a young woman named Rosemary arrived in the Lusaka/Kabwe area in the 1960s. Rosemary is said to have hailed from Southern Province and moved to the areas around Kabwe and Lusaka in search of her fortune.
The Legend of Rosemary Chibanda
Reportedly a very attractive young woman, Rosemary earned her keep by working as a waitress by day and a barmaid some evenings. But when nighttime fell, she transformed into a woman of the night, selling her bodily wares to the highest bidders to survive. This line of work would eventually result in her sudden and gruesome demise.
It is said that, due to the nature of her work, Rosemary had a falling out with a client, which led to her death. However, more popular accounts report that Rosemary’s death was a crime of passion, her life taken by the very person she entrusted to protect it.
It is believed that Rosemary took a lover and had fallen in love with him, but things soured, and she met her end near one of the main highways when he ran her over, leaving her for dead. Dying alone and betrayed, Rosemary never found peace in death and would return. Rosemary Chibanda, meaning ghost in Nyanja.
Accounts claim that, upon her death, Rosemary Chibanda began haunting bars and unsuspecting male drivers on highways to have her revenge. Primarily targeting men, Rosemary Chibanda is said to have first appeared at Tambalala Bar on Kabwe Road, a short distance from Chingwere Cemetery, where it is claimed she was buried. Her second appearance was supposedly at Independence Bar in Emmersdale, Lusaka.
Ghostly Encounters
As sightings of Rosemary Chibanda increased, victims began stepping forward with accounts, from the most benign to the most bizarre. One victim claimed he came across a beautiful young woman who appeared to be stranded and flagged him down. Once in the car, they became intimate, but it soon became evident that she was a ghost. His realisation came too late, as by then, all his teeth had disappeared, and so had she.
Yet other accounts followed. A man driving late at night would be flagged down by a beautiful young woman and, in the next instant, he would regain consciousness in a cemetery, sometimes with all his clothes and belongings gone. Others claimed she simply appeared in the car without being invited in. In other accounts, she would suddenly appear in the middle of the road, startling drivers and causing accidents.
As news began to spread, so did fear, and men driving late at night began to avoid picking women up, opting to head straight home as early as possible. As fear gripped the hearts of men, women began reporting some troubling accounts. Rosemary Chibanda would meet women, but promise them no harm, claiming she was only targeting men for her revenge.
Fear and panic became so widespread that the media began reporting on the stories, and the government had to get involved, issuing statements that these accounts were unfounded and not to be taken seriously. Due to the lack of evidence from witness accounts, Rosemary’s story passed into urban mythology, and hers became a name synonymous with drunken tales in local bars.
The truth about Rosemary
This begs the question: Did Rosemary’s ghost really come back for revenge? Or were tales of her haunting a result of drunken patrons seeking popularity and attention? Perhaps Rosemary Chibanda is a sinister old wives’ tale made up by fed-up wives to discourage their husbands from staying out too late or engaging in extra-marital activities. Or was it a covert campaign to discourage national debauchery by preying on fear and superstition?
We will never know. But what we do know is never stop for a strange woman on the side of the road at night, because Rosemary Chibanda might still be out there, thirsty for revenge.
