Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube
A bizarre and shocking cult has been using sex as a form of prayer, luring desperate women to a bushy shrine in Pumula South, near Robert Sinyoka, with promises of love, marriage and faithful partners.
The “church” vanished into thin air after a viral video of women’s underwear hanging from bushes sent social media into a frenzy about three weeks ago.
From giant “parachutes” to tiny G-strings, the underwear — some wet, some stained with what appeared to be bodily fluids — was strung up like a grotesque display of trophies.
B-Metro visited the site and uncovered disturbing details of how self-styled prophets preyed on vulnerable women, convincing them that their “healing” required the most intimate of acts.
A 39-year-old woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted she went through the ritual last year and claims it worked.
“My dream was to get married young, like my mother who got married at 18. But I was always unlucky in love,” she said.
She revealed that a woman at her church introduced her to the prophets, saying they had a reputation for “fixing” women’s problems.
“At the shrine, the prophet prayed for me, then told me to strip naked. He washed my panties in what he called holy water, then began touching me while praying. He massaged my breasts and private parts and later said my womb was the problem,” she narrated.
The ritual ended with the prophet dipping his manhood in “holy water” before penetrating her to deal with the problem.
“He told me to leave my panties behind, saying they contained evil spirits that would follow me home. Two weeks later, my man paid lobola,” she said, insisting the prophet saved her life.
When this reporter suggested she had been abused, she snapped.
“I knew what I was doing! He helped me and I don’t want you to destroy this lifeline for other women,” she said angrily before storming off.
Another woman claimed multiple male prophets operated at the site, servicing not just women seeking marriage, but also prostitutes looking to keep their clients hooked.
“This place was always full. Even women from other cities came here,” she said.
But the ritual left many residents outraged and disgusted.
“These so-called prophets vanished when the video leaked. Only a few stragglers still come here,” said Siphathiswe Nyathi, a Pumula South resident.
“What kind of church is this? Our wives were naked before these men,” fumed another man.
Fidelis Tshuma from Robert Sinyoka said the cult was part of a wider problem of illegal churches mushrooming in the area.
“We have over 16 churches in the bush. I once saw a man with 30 women in a clearing. The ground was littered with over 50 pairs of wet panties,” Tshuma said.
“The sad thing is, women are letting strange men touch them in the name of prayer. This is not right.”
He urged the Environmental Management Agency and Bulawayo City Council to clear the area, but jokingly asked: “Who will collect all those dirty panties?”
Village head Vidco Maseko condemned the practice, saying: “When we grew up, we never saw this style of worship. Government must intervene, but carefully, so as not to violate freedom of worship.”
Ward 17 Councillor Sikhululekile Moyo, visited the site with this reporter and said the rituals were polluting the forest and causing droughts, according to local beliefs.
“The elders who prepare for the Njelele festival need to cleanse this place. We need help from the authorities,” she said.
Nkethabatshabe Amasiko, a traditional group, is planning a cleansing ceremony to restore balance.
Its leader, Lameck Joseph Moyo, said:
“These women’s underwear and shiny bottles are blocking the rain. In our culture, you must cover shiny objects before rain falls. Imagine buying your wife underwear only for her to go and remove it for another man in the bush!”
Even conventional apostolic churches, known for worshipping in the forest, have condemned the cult. Bishop Madzibaba Pura of the Kutenda kwaJohane Apostolic Church said:
“This is evil. No Christian practice demands that women remove their underwear. These are not prophets — they are predators hiding behind the Bible.”
As the sun set over the quiet forest, the site was eerily silent, with only panties fluttering in the wind. For the women who passed through here, the scars — physical and emotional — may never fade.
