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Nyore Madzianike Senior Court Reporter
AN EVANGELIST at Zion Christian Church (ZCC) in Glen View, Harare, appeared in court yesterday on allegations of raping a female congregant who wanted spiritual help after encountering pregnancy complications.
Itai Kufera (33) was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Mrs Tafadzwa Miti charged with rape.
He was remanded in custody to December 28 and advised to approach the High Court for bail.
Mr Thomas Chanakira, appearing for the State, had it that sometime in April 2018, the woman and her husband visited Kufera at his place of residence seeking spiritual assistance after having a miscarriage. Kufera allegedly gave the woman coffee and warm water mixed with salt, saying it would clean the cervix.
In June of the same year, the woman discovered that she was pregnant and decided to visit Kufera for spiritual help to avoid another miscarriage.
It is said that after a few days, Kufera phoned the woman asking her to meet him at a service station located at Budiriro 1 Shops.
Kufera is said to have driven the woman to a lodge in the Willowvale industrial area where he allegedly raped her and threatened to tell her husband if she disclosed the matter to anyone.
In June last year, Kufera allegedly went to the woman’s place of residence where he asked her to come out. It is alleged that he asked her to get onto his car and raped her again. The matter came to light after she revealed the sexual attacks to her mother, leading to Kufera’s arrest.
Online Reporter