La Rochelle forestry workers and the fireball (editorial recap)

What was reported

Recapping a case that a farmers' magazine garbled after her Harare talk, Hind describes twenty forestry workers at La Rochelle, 9 km from Mutare, who watched a large fireball sweep across the lawn, climb the wall to an observation tower and finally settle on an orchid house, where it burst into flames. Clifford Muchena saw three men in overalls; taking one for his superior he called out, they turned, and a powerful energy from them flung him to the ground. Eunice Kachiti saw two men studying the ball of fire with unusually narrow, elongated torches. The magazine claimed Hind herself had seen a UAP emerge from clouds there; she wrote to the editor, who printed her letter and so vindicated Muchena. The year is not printed in this issue.

What Hind made of it

Hind treats it as one of her main cases and complains that a farmers' magazine turned it into a jumbled report that she had seen a UAP come out of the clouds; her published correction vindicated Muchena.

In their words

• they turned towards him and a great energy emanating from them threw him to the ground.

• To their credit, they published my letter so at least Clifford Muchena was vindicated.

Cross references

• Harare talk for the Union of Jewish Women, Harry Margolis Centre
• farmers' magazine misreport
• UAPs Affecting Africa forthcoming book (spread 23) lists La Rochelle

Connected

• Fireball and three shining men at La RochelleCase fileNamed person

  Same event; Clifford Muchena and Eunice Kachiti named in both. 15-04-2 adds Kachiti's detail of two men studying the fireball with narrow elongated torches, and records Hind correcting a farmers' magazine that garbled the case after her Harare talk. Recap, not independent.

Source

Cynthia Hind, UFO Afrinews No 15 (January 1997), spread 04-05

In the archive

This case became a story on this site.

1981 · Zimbabwe

The fireball at La Rochelle

A ball of fire rolled across the lawns and up the tower of the Courtaulds' old house. Then three men in shiny overalls turned round, and the foreman went down.

LIFTLift

Documented

Nearby

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