Rape separately earns two men 20-year jail terms

New Ziana – A self-proclaimed prophet from Chitungwiza is to spend the next 20 years in jail for raping a congregant as is the case with a Karoi man who raped his ex-wife.

The two are among several cases that the National Prosecution Authority of Zimbabwe reported to have been handled by different magistrates courts around the country this week.

In a post on X, the NPAZ said the 40-year-old self-proclaimed prophet was convicted by the Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Court and sentenced to an effective 20 years.

He groomed his 15-year-old victim beginning on June 16 this year when he made a prophecy during a church service that the girl needed to be exorcised for three days to rid her of evil spirits that were tormenting her.

The girl turned up for the exorcism session the following day but the ‘prophet’ told her to return alone on June 22. When she arrived for the appointment, the man directed her to a secluded area by a Muhacha tree in the bush where he was going to pray for her.

On getting to the spot, the ‘prophet’ covered the girl’s face with a cloth before ordering her to kneel down and later to lie down on a piece of cloth after which he removed her clothes and raped her. The girl cried out for help but no one came to her rescue.

The ‘prophet’ promised to buy the girl a new phone in exchange for her silence. The matter came to light when the complainant returned home and confided in her friend, leading to the man’s arrest.

Separately, the Karoi Magistrates’ Court sentenced a 49-year-old man from Chikangwe, Karoi to 20 years imprisonment for the rape of his former wife.

The incident occurred on last April 25 when the 26-yeasr-old woman visited her ex-husband’s residence in the company of her uncle to collect her belongings after their union disintegrated.

When they arrived, the ex-husband requested to have a private conversation with his ex-wife in private and they entered the bedroom where he locked the door. He then grabbed the woman but she fought to free herself and the two wrestled until the ex-husband overpowered the woman and pushed her onto the bed and raped her once.

The ex-wife screamed for help but her uncle and neighbour failed to open the door and subsequently called the police, who rescued the woman and arrested the man. The woman was referred to Karoi District Hospital for a medical examination.

In Odzi, Mutare, Manicaland, the NPAZ said a 39-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the rape of a 13-year-old mental patient on many occasions between December 2023 and last March.