A SELF-PROCLAIMED prophet from Gwanda has been jailed 18 years for raping a 16-year-old juvenile under the pretext of healing her.

The prophet aged 38, from Spitzkop North suburb told the juvenile who is his neighbour that he had to sleep with her in order to be healed and warned her that she would go mad if she did not comply.

He pleaded not guilty to a charge of rape when he appeared briefly before Gwanda regional magistrate, Mr Mark Dzira last week.

He was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment with three years suspended on condition he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.

The prophet will serve an effective 15 years in jail.
In his defence, the prophet denied to have raped the juvenile. He said the juvenile’s mother approached him and asked him to heal her daughter as she was not feeling well.

The prophet said he attended to the juvenile and gave her some water to cleanse herself but did not touch her as was being alleged.

Prosecuting, Mr Mncedisi Dube said the prophet summoned the juvenile who is a Form Three pupil at Gwanda Government High School to his house on 2 February in order to prophesy to her.

“On 2 February (the prophet) summoned the juvenile to his house as he wanted to prophesy to her. He prayed for a paper which he gave to her and told her to put it under her pillow at night so that she would dream of the person who bewitched her. He further instructed the juvenile to return the paper to him the following day together with some charcoal.”State media