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Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
The trial of the apostolic sect leader Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa and seven other leaders of his church failed to resume yesterday after the fourth accused person Wonder Kabaya failed to attend the court hearing.
Kabaya was said to have fallen sick on the way to court and was taken to the hospital. The State then applied that a warrant of arrest be issued for non-appearance and the matter was rolled over to today for trial continuation.
The other accomplices in the matter are Shingirai Ngawafune (42), Zebedia Sigudu (49), Devlodge Katsande (47), Aaron Chokurongerwa (47) and Siribinio Chikurunhe (53) who are appearing before Norton magistrate Ms Christine Nyandoro.
The accused are being charged for contravening sections of the Burial and Cremation Act and Children’s Act and failure to give notice of the birth and death of a person.
Among the charges, Chokurongerwa and two others allegedly aborted an expecting mother Hazel Chikurunhe’s pregnancy resulting in her death.
Last Friday the State led evidence from Chikurunhe’s mother Ms Memory Munanairi. Chikurunhe’s death unearthed what was transpiring at the shrine.
Ma Munanairi told the court that according to the church doctrine husbands and all male adults were given exclusive powers over their wives and no wife should challenge her husband’s decision.
She added that 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.
Ms Munanairi told the court that all church members were ordered not to send their children to school and were not allowed to seek medication from a clinic or any health facility.
“Every male adult should marry more than one wife, failure of which, the Holy Spirit would cast a bad omen or spell or death upon them,” she said.
“The wives are given the responsibility to look for another wife for their husbands and no lobola is paid to parents of a child who is being married off. The parents are only allowed to receive groceries.”
She said Madzibaba Ishmael is seen as god and congregants are expected to obey everything he says.
Ms Munanairi said she was the midwife who was forced to assist in delivering her late daughter’s five children who were never registered, attended school, or went to the hospital.
She told the court that she was chased away from Nyabira farm when she questioned the church’s practices and was termed a witch.
Ms Munanairi only returned to the farm under police escort after she had been told by an anonymous person that her child had died and been buried secretly.
Appearing for the State is Mr Tafara Chirambira and Ms Sheila Mupindu while the accused are represented by their lawyer Ms Purity Chikangaise.
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