Prophet T Freddy trial continues

Nyore Madzianike
Senior Court Reporter
THE woman allegedly raped by Goodness and Mercy Ministries Church leader Tapiwa Freddy (T Freddy) last Friday told the court that she failed to report the matter to the police immediately out of fear of threats she received from the clergyman.

She said after the alleged assault and after T Freddy left her place, she looked for her landlady, but failed to locate her. She then informed her uncle the following morning, who also advised her to take the matter to the police. She reported the matter in the first week of November last year at Harare Central Police Station before the matter was referred to Marlborough police station.

She said this during cross-examination by T Freddy’s lawyers, Mr Everson Chatambudza, Mr Jivas Mudimu and Mr Malvern Mapako.

Freddy denies the charge of rape saying the sexual relations were consensual and that the rape charges were only laid to embarrass him and nullify his allegations of attempted extortion.

Explaining her late report, the woman said: “I failed to report because he had threatened me. The accused said his God and mine were different. He said his God kills and I was afraid of that,” she said.

Asked why she failed to report the matter on the following morning when Freddy had left her place of residence and had also gained courage after calling her uncle, she replied:

“I tried to look for the grandmother who stays at the same house but failed to locate her. I then called my uncle. My uncle advised me to go and report the matter to the police. I did not also go to report since I was still afraid of him after he had told me that police would do nothing to him,” she said.

The woman also told the court during cross-examination that Freddy did not threaten her with a gun during the alleged rape, because she was not afraid of the gun, but of the words that Freddy uttered after the alleged assault.

Asked by Mr Chatambudza on why she omitted to tell the police during recording of his warned and cautioned statement that Freddy forced himself into her bedroom, the woman said: “There were a lot of things that had happened and I only gave the police what I thought was important. I did not attempt to stop him since I was in toilet”.

The woman also told the court that Freddy locked the door from inside and threw the key under the bed before assaulting her. She was crying as Freddy was allegedly raping her.

Asked why she did not tell the court that Freddy had promised to marry her in her evidence-in-chief when the trial opened, the woman told the court that she felt it was not important.

Freddy is denying the two counts of rape and another of physical abuse saying he had consensual sexual relations with his ex-lover. He said she only cooked up the rape accusations after he terminated their affair.

“Sometime around July 2021, the accused person indicated his intention to terminate his love affair with the complainant citing irreconcilable differences. This did not go down well with the complainant who then began to blackmail and threaten the accused person.

“The complainant specifically indicated to the accused person that she was going to go public about the love affair and threatened to go and make a scene at the accused person’s church.

“It was at this juncture that she began threatening the accused person with the rape allegations,” he said.

Freddy claims that the woman manufactured the allegations to tarnish his good social standing.

He claims that the rape charges were concocted and crafted by the woman as a counter report to frustrate his allegations of extortion against her.

Freddy said the allegations were out of bitterness after he decided to terminate their relationship.

“Those laughable allegations were fabricated by the complainant to tarnish the accused’s good name and standing in the society,” he said.

The matter is expected to continue on January 13 with the woman’s cross-examination.

Harare regional magistrates Mrs Gloria Takundwa presided while Miss Sheilla Mupindu appeared for the State.