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Crime Reporter
Police in Harare have rescued about 13 young women and seven children from a house in Marimba, where they were hidden after being transferred from the shrine of apostolic sect leader Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa in Nyabira.
The shrine complex was raided recently, and 246 children were rescued, most of them without birth certificates.
Of the 20 young females, seven of them toddlers below the age of two were taken to a children’s home in Hatfield, while the other 13 were taken to Kadoma.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the seven children were moved and housed at the children’s home by the Department of Social Welfare.
Recently, Norton magistrate Ms Christine Nyandoro denied bail to Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa and his seven co-accused who are jointly charged with two counts of contravening sections of the Burial and Cremation Act for unauthorised burials and the Children’s Act over children discovered on the church property in Nyabira.
They were remanded in custody to April 4 for routine remand.
Madzibaba Ishmael’s co-accused, who are part of Johane Masowe Gore Jena Penyera Nyika, are Shingirai Ngawafune (42), Takavengwa Gwenzi (55), Zebedia Sigudu (49), Devlodge Katsande (47), Aaron Chokurongerwa (47), Wonder Kabaya (41) and Siribinio Chikurunhe (53).
They were all represented by lawyer Purity Chikanganise.
The State submitted that there could be public outrage if they were admitted to bail while witnesses could be victimised.
It was ruled that the accused are people of influence in their community and the likelihood of them interfering with witnesses was high.
The State is alleging that the eight buried or conducted funeral services for Hazel Chikunhire and Winlet Kabaya without obtaining proper burial orders for the two.
It is further alleged that the sect leaders, being guardians of the children that lived at the church’s compound in Nyabira, neglected, abandoned and exposed the children in a manner that likely caused them unnecessary suffering.
Their arrests came after police raided the farm and rescued 251 children, with 246 said to have no birth certificates.
Police also found 16 graves near Madzibaba Ishmael’s shrine and investigations showed that they were for nine adults and seven children.
Online Reporter