Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka
Herald Correspondent
APOSTOLIC sect leader Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa (55) was yesterday jailed 20 years for rape.
It was noted Madzibaba Ishmael was not a first offender since he was once convicted of committing violence in 2015.
He raped and impregnated a minor congregant.
Presiding magistrate Mrs Estere Chivasa delivered the sentence, condemning Madzibaba Ishmael for abusing his position of authority to prey on vulnerable members of his church.
She labelled him a “notorious and evil” individual who betrayed the trust placed in him as a religious leader.
“Church leaders are expected to serve as moral compasses for their congregants, but what the accused did is the complete opposite of these expectations,” magistrate Chivasa said.
“The victim was too scared to reveal the paternity of her child, and while the accused is HIV negative, he recklessly exposed her to the risk of STIs. His actions were despicable.”
Magistrate Chivasa emphasised that the court must set a precedent to protect congregants from similar abuses of power in the future.
“His moral blameworthiness is exceptionally high. How many brilliant minds has this man brainwashed and destroyed? No one truly knows. He turned his congregants into his personal possessions. The accused is a purely evil person who happens to live among others,” she stated.
The court commended State prosecutor Mr Oscar Madhume for engaging the Social Welfare Department to conduct a victim impact assessment.
The victim, who had been indoctrinated and manipulated, reportedly did not fully comprehend that she had been abused.
Her fear and indoctrination prevented her from speaking out earlier.
Initially, Madzibaba Ishmael faced three counts of rape.
However, two charges were dismissed as the victims were of legal age at the time of those incidents.
Nevertheless, he was convicted on one count of raping a minor.
The DNA evidence provided by the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) confirmed that he fathered three children with complainants involved in the case.
Although he was cleared of charges related to the ill-treatment of minors and breaching the Burial and Cremation Act, the prosecution successfully argued that Madzibaba Ishmael had abused his position as a trusted religious leader to exploit and manipulate young congregants under the guise of religious authority.
The court heard that his victims, indoctrinated and fearful, were unable to resist or disclose the abuse until additional evidence came to light.
Magistrate Chivasa concluded her ruling by saying, “It is time for the court to draw a line and say, ‘enough is enough.”
In civilized societies, a lot more people would have been incarcerated together with this beast for being accessories to this crime. All the inner circle members of this church should have been charged for being accessories. They actually were hiding information hence attempting to defeat the ends of justice. But this is Zimbabwe. Our justice system is not victim friendly. In fact it looks after the perpetrators better than the victims.