A 40-year-old self-proclaimed prophet from Chikanga, Mutare, has been arraigned before the Mutare Magistrates’ Court on rape charges.
It is alleged that the accused person, Tendai Chikowore, caused his victim to lose her voice before raping her during a prayer session in the bush.
According to a statement from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the incident occurred on July 6, 2024, when the 31-year-old complainant visited the accused person’s shrine seeking spiritual guidance. Said the NPA:
She was told that she needed cleansing and she was given some water to bath. She was further instructed to rub her body with some ashes in a nearby bush.
While applying the ashes in the bush, the accused person suddenly appeared and pushed the complainant down. She fell down facing upwards, after which he raped her once.
The complainant tried to scream for help and the accused person “ordered complainant’s voice to mute and she lost her voice”.
After the act, the accused person told the complainant that she should not argue with the Holy Spirit and also that she needed to be cleansed with holy water to get her voice back.
The complainant could still not speak when she made a police report, she wrote her ordeal on a piece of paper.
After his arrest, Chikowore allegedly performed some rituals for the complainant in an attempt to help her regain her voice.
The court subsequently sentenced Chikowore to 20 years in prison, with 3 years suspended. He will therefore serve an effective sentence of 17 years behind bars.
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