The polygamous cleric took the minor in as his fifth wife. Fed
up with the relentless abuse, the girl fled the prophet and took refuge in a
bush where she faced starvation.
The matter only came to light after the hunger-struck girl
approached a Good Samaritan who encouraged her to narrate her terrifying story.
The case was reported at Zimunya Police Post, resulting in
the arrest of her father and the cleric. Deputy Manicaland provincial police
spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Luxon Chananda, confirmed the case.
He said police investigations revealed that the 41-year-old
father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, raped his
daughter and sought to conceal the crime by marrying her off to the prophet.
Asst Insp Chananda said the complainant was staying with
her father and her two siblings when the offence was committed.
On an unknown date last year, the accused person asked his three children to join him
in his bedroom for the night. They all slept on the same bed and during the
night, the girl’s father raped her.
After committing the crime, he threatened to kill his
daughter if she ever divulged the matter to anyone.
Days later, the man took his daughter to 35-year-old Lukas
Hondo, a self-proclaimed prophet of Temberere Village under Chief Zimunya and
married her off.
The prophet’s second wife prepared a room for the young
girl and the ‘man of cloth’ came in to rape her. This went on for days until
the complainant fled and seek refuge in a nearby bush.
Starvation forced the young girl to approach a Good
Samaritan to seek assistance. The matter was subsequently reported to the
police.
The girl was taken for medical examinations and the
doctor’s affidavits will be produced in court as exhibits.
Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars
Seenza is on record pointing out that the province is blighted with cases of
child marriages; with Mutare, Buhera, Makoni, Mutasa and Chipinge districts
identified as the problem areas.
Child marriage obstructs progress towards gender equality,
women’s empowerment and inclusive development.
The practice is a violation of children’s human rights and
places the girl child at the risk of gender based violence and ill-health.
Girls who are married off at an early age do not complete
their education, thus limiting their socio-economic life chances. In Zimbabwe,
studies show that one in every four women aged between 15 to 19 years is
married (Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2014).
According to the survey, 47 percent of the women aged
between 20 and 24 who were married before the age of 18 were in Manicaland
province. Manica Post
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