dyton mupawaenda
Zvikomborero Parafini
The trial for Apostolic sect leader, Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa and his seven alleged accomplices took a dramatic turn last Friday after one of the victims’ mother broke down in court as she gave her evidence in chief.
Prosecutors Tafara Chirambira and Sheila Mupindu led evidence from the eleventh witness, Memory Munanairi.
Munanairi is the mother of the now-deceased Hazel, whose death led to the uncovering of the goings on at the shrine.
Munanairi told presiding magistrate Christine Nyandoro that Chokurongerwa was referred to as ‘god’ at the shrine in Nyabira.
She outlined the rules of the church, which included that husbands and all male adults were given exclusive powers over their wives. No wife would challenge her husband’s decision.
“All the household property including kitchen utensils were said to be the property of the husband and no woman or wife could claim ownership of them, all church members were ordered not to send their children to school and no church member including his/her family should seek medication from a clinic or any healthy facility.
“Every male adult needed to marry more than one wife, and failure to do so, the Holy Spirit would cast a bad spell or death upon them and wives were given responsibility to look or arrange for another wife for their husbands.
“No lobola to be paid to parents of a child who is being married off, parents only allowed to receive groceries, and in my case, my daughter Hazel was married off at 15-years-old.
“I was forced to be the midwife when she delivered her children who were never registered with the registrar of births and they never went to school.
“I couldn’t question him (Chokurongerwa) as he was ‘god’ and I was later chased away from the shrine because I was worried about the well-being of my child and they found a new wife for my husband.
“I only returned with police escort after I had received information that my daughter Hazel had died and been buried secretly,” she added.
The trial resumes today.
Chokurongerwa (54) is appearing together with Takavengwa Gwenzi (55), Siribiniyo Chikunhire (53), Wonder Kabaya (41), Devlodge Katsande (48), Zebedia Sigudu (49), Aaron Chokurongerwa (47) and Shingirai Ngavafume (42), all from Lilly Farm in Nyabira.
They are all are facing three counts of ill-treating children, conducting a burial without a burial order and failing to give notice of the birth and death of a person.
In their defence, Chokurongerwa and his accomplices submitted that they did not have a guardian obligation to the minors, hence it was not their duty to take care of them.
They highlighted that none of the alleged victims nor their parents have lodged a complaint with the police, hence the State should not be ‘crying more than the bereaved’.
They further stated that they did not conduct any burial of any person without notifying authorities. They also submitted that they were not the only adults at Lily Farm.
Online Reporter