Rapist prophet jailed 17 years

Crime Reporter

A 40-year-old self-styled prophet has been jailed for 17 years after he “ordered a woman’s voice to go mute and she “lost her voice” before he raped her at his shrine in Mutare.

Tendai Chikowore from Chikanga in Mutare was convicted at the Mutare Magistrates Court for rape. The regional magistrate imposed a 20-year sentence and suspended three years, leaving Chikowore to serve an effective 17 years.

On July 6, 2024, the victim aged 31, went to Chikowore’s shrine seeking spiritual guidance and was told she needed cleansing, before being given some water to bath. The victim was further instructed to rub her body with some ashes in a nearby bush.

While she was applying the ashes, Chikowore suddenly appeared and raped her once.

She tried to scream for help and Chikowore allegedly “ordered” the woman’s voice to mute and she lost it.

After the rape, Chikowore told her that she should not argue with the “Holy Spirit” and that she needed to be cleansed with holy water to get her voice back.

The victim could still not speak when she made a police report and had to write her ordeal on a piece of paper. After his arrest, Chikowore performed some rituals for the victim to regain her voice.