Zimbabwe : Prophet gets 8 years for rape

Harare, Zimbabwe - A SELF-STYLED prophet who raped his patient was, on Tuesday, jailed for an effective eight years by a Harare regional magistrate.

Magistrate Ms Betty Chidziva had initially slapped Tendai Maponga with a total of 12 years but suspended four years on condition of good behaviour.

Maponga, who was a faith healer with an apostolic faith sect in Glen Norah C, had pleaded not guilty to the charges but was convicted after the State, led by Ms Lyna Badibanga, proved a case against him.

In aggravation, Ms Badibanga submitted that rape cases involving self-styled prophets were on the increase and there was need for long custodial sentences that would serve as deterrents to would-be offenders. She said Maponga breached the trust that was attached to him as a "prophet" hence his moral blameworthiness was high.

The court heard that on June 25, 2003 in the afternoon, the victim, aged 21, had period pains and consulted the accused. Maponga started praying for the woman while waiting for more patients. He told the woman that she had something on her back that needed to be removed spiritually. Maponga undressed the woman before he lied to her that he had removed a living caterpillar from her back. He later ordered the woman to remove her pants as he intended to remove another "caterpillar" from her private parts. He later raped the woman.