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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
A self-proclaimed prophet of the Johanne Masowe apostolic sect (nguwo tsvuku) has been jailed for 12 years for raping a 20-year-old client.

Rickie Mutero of Chinamhora raped the client on the pretext that he was removing something from the woman’s privates that was causing her bad luck.

Mutero pleaded not guilty when he appeared before regional magistrate Mrs Sandra Mupindu, but was convicted on overwhelming evidence.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but three were suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.

Mrs Mupindu branded Mutero a “wolf in a sheep’s clothing” for his behaviour.

She said Mutero abused God’s name.

“The convicted person pretended to be a prophet when in actual fact he was a criminal. You raped an innocent woman and deflowered her. In this case a stiffer penalty will meet the justice of the offence so that those who use God’s name to commit crimes can also learn that crime does not pay,” she said.

Prosecuting, Mr Gwinyai Shumba proved that on February 16 the victim visited Mutero’s shrine seeking spiritual healing.

She was accompanied by her brother.

Mutero told her to return the following day alone for cleansing.

He asked the victim to bring a razor and her under garment.

When the woman returned the following day, Mutero asked if she was still a virgin.

The woman answered in the affirmative and he demanded blood from her private parts saying it was needed for the cleansing ceremony.

He told the woman God had revealed to him that she had a growth in her privates which was the source of her misfortunes.

Mutero claimed only sexual intercourse would help drain the blood needed for the cleansing ceremony.

The woman refused to be intimate with him.

Mutero then ordered her to go and fetch water from a nearby dam.

He followed and raped her.

He took her blood and ordered her not to tell anyone saying that the cleansing ceremony would not work if she did.

The victim alerted her father leading to Mutero’s arrest.