Tshitombile Simon Shoko pleaded not guilty to charges of
rape when he appeared before Beitbridge Regional Magistrate, Mr Innocent Bepura
on Friday, but he was convicted on the strength of the State’s evidence.
Prosecuting, Mr Cloudios Karinga told the court that
sometime last year on an unknown date, the mentally challenged woman, who also
suffers from severe fits, fell down at Lutumba Business Centre in the presence
of Shoko.
When she had stabilised, Shoko approached her and told her
that since he was a traditional healer, he could help cure her illness.
The court further heard that the woman agreed to accompany
Shoko to his homestead for treatment.
Mr Karinga said upon arrival, Shoko took the woman to his
bedroom where he prepared some blankets on the floor, indicating that he wanted
to taste her womanhood before starting the healing session.
He raped the complainant once and released her to go home.
The court heard that Shoko would on several occasions take
the woman from Lutumba Business Centre to his homestead where he repeatedly
raped her using the same modus operandi.
The issue came to light in October last year when the
complainant told her mother about the extraordinary “healing sessions”.
The State said Shoko was then summoned by the woman’s
mother to her homestead to discuss the matter, but he refused to engage her.
In February this year, the complainant’s mother discovered
that she had fallen pregnant and on being quizzed, she told her mother that
Shoko was responsible for the pregnancy.
The mother tried again to seek an audience with Shoko, who
again refused to meet her.
The woman later gave birth to a baby boy in June this year
at Beitbridge District Hospital where she narrated her story to health
officials.
She was then taken to a local children’s home and the
matter was reported to the police resulting in Shoko’s arrest. Chronicle
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