A self-styled prophet from Chivi has been jailed for 14 years for raping and infecting an 18-year-old girl brought to him by her mother for treatment.
The complainant was left in the custody of Hupenyu Muhwati,
a member of Johane Masowe from Muzondo Village under headman Makonese.
Muhwati told the complainant he needed to have sex with her
in order to remove a spiritual husband that was causing her misery. The
judgment was delivered by Magistrate Dambudzo Malunga last week.
The State said that sometime in November 2018 the
complainant was escorted by her mother to Muhwati’s homestead for spiritual
healing since she was not feeling well. Muhwati told complainant’s mother to
leave the complainant at his homestead so that he would pray for her.
In January 2019 at around 4pm during the absence of his
wife, Muhwati told the complainant that she had a spiritual husband, so they
were supposed to have sexual intercourse to chase away the spiritual husband.
At 8pm while his wife was in the bedroom preparing to
sleep, Muhwati took the complainant to a nearby bush for routine prayer. After
the prayer he asked for a kiss from the complainant but she refused. He
forcefully kissed the complainant, pulled her skirt down, opened his short’s zip,
removed the complainant’s clothes and had sexual intercourse with her without
her consent.
After the rape, he told the complainant not to tell anyone
threatening her that the spiritual husband would return on her.
Muhwati continued to have sexual intercourse with the
complainant several other times without her consent after telling her that the
spiritual husband was still on her.
On February 21, 2019 at around 6pm, the accused accompanied
the complainant back to her mother’s home and had sex with her in the bush
without consent. On August 15, 2019 the complainant phoned her sister who stays
in South Africa and told her that she was seven months pregnant and Muhwati was
responsible for the pregnancy. The following day the complainant sister called
her mother and informed her about the case. The mother interviewed the
complainant who then disclosed what happened.
A Police report was made leading to the arrest of Muhwati.
Medical tests were done on the complainant and it was established that she was
now HIV positive.
Magistrate Malunga described Muhwati as a ruthless person
who is not suitable to stay in the community hence he is only suitable for a
custodial sentence. Masvingo Mirror
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