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Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
Jailed RMG Independent End Time Message church leader Robert Gumbura says the magistrate’s court wrongly convicted him on rape charges before imposing a “shocking” sentence.Gumbura was on Monday this week jailed for an effective 40 years after he was found guilty on four counts of rape and one of possessing pornographic material.

Harare regional magistrate Mr Hosea Mujaya ruled that the four-month prison term for the pornographic material would run concurrently with the 40-year jail term.

In a notice of appeal filed at the High Court on Tuesday, Gumbura says the lower court erred in convicting him and urged the High Court to clear him of any wrongdoing.

“Appellant prays for the quashing of the conviction and sentence in respect of all the counts, even those of rape, as the sentence induces the sense of shock in the circumstances,” reads part of the notice of appeal.

Challenging conviction in the case in which he was accused of raping a woman twice, Gumbura argues that the magistrate found him guilty without giving any reasons why he believed the complainant.

He argues that the court simply convicted him even when the witnesses were not credible. Gumbura argues that the evidence of the State witnesses was fraught with inconsistencies and that the magistrate had convicted him without the State proving a case against him.

On the count of illegally possessing pornographic material, Gumbura argues that the court convicted him without establishing that he indeed possessed the said material.

The sentence of four months on that count, Gumbura says, was too harsh and shocking considering that the Act provided for imposition of a fine as an option.

Gumbura was convicted of four counts of rape involving three women and possessing pornographic material. Gumbura — who has 11 wives and 30 children — was facing nine counts of raping six women and one of possessing pornographic material.

Mr Mujaya cleared him of four counts relating to three other women for lack of evidence. Mr Mujaya noted that Gumbura’s defence was tailor-made to suit him.

On the counts on which Gumbura was acquitted, Mr Mujaya said he was not convinced by the women’s evidence.
While reading out the sentence, Mr Mujaya said that the jail term was obviously going to affect Gumbura’s family and his flock.

He, however, castigated Gumbura’s behaviour saying he was a wolf in sheep’s skin and abused vulnerable members of his church.