POLICE BUST SAFE HOUSE WITH 20 YOUNG WOMEN
A SAFE house, which was housing 20 young women, who escaped from Madzibaba Ishmael’s shrine in Nyabira, was busted by police in Harare yesterday in the latest chapter to the drama related to this cult.
Sources told H-Metro last night that a number of women have been escaping from the compound since Madzibaba Ishmael was arrested on March 12.
He is now in remand prison.
Sources said many of the young women appear to have been subjected to sexual and physical abuse in the arranged marriages they were trapped in.
Police yesterday busted one of the safe houses in Marimba where 20 young women were found hiding. In a statement, national police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, were now trying to establish the circumstances surrounding how the 20 women ended up hiding at the Marimba safe house.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is investigating the circumstances in which 20 young women believed to have been taken from Madzibaba Ishmael’s shrine in Nyabira have been found hiding at a secret house in Marimba, Harare,” said AssComm
Nyathi.
“More details to be released in due course as police officers are currently attending the scene,” said Ass-Comm Nyathi.
Among the young women, were children, who tried in vain to resist arrest, claiming they were in a meeting. It also emerged yesterday that Madzibaba Ishmael sold the police a dummy when they raided his compound and were shown a number of graves at the shrine.
“What the police didn’t know that was the biggest number of graves, especially those with children who died at the shrine, are at Glen Luser Farm in the same Nyabira area,” said the sources.
“If the police had gone to Glen Lucer Farm they would have seen the graves that people have been talking about.
“Police only went to Lily Farm.”
The sources said Lily Farm was left with a few women as many left and sought refuge at various places owned by Madzibaba Ishmael’s followers.
“If you visit Lily Farm, you will notice that a number of young women have been removed and have found alternative places where they are staying because many of them are afraid of being taken in as wives given they are too young to be mothers.
“It appears the arrest of Madzibaba Ishmael woke up some of these young women or erased the fear that was in them.
“Some have been moved to Glen Luser Plot 10 Farm in Nyabira and that farm is owned by a close senior member of Madzibaba Ishmael whose name is Nefta Kanhema.
“At Glen Luser, you will see many shallow graves where they used to bury the kid.
“A number of women panicked following the removal of 54 women by the police who were taken to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital for medical examinations.
“Among them, 27 were reported to have been sexually abused and are being treated and helping police with investigations.”
H-Metro hotline number have been inundated with calls from people seeking help to go and visit their relatives who are still at Lily Farm and Glen Luser Farms.”
A MAN will serve nine years in prison after he killed a black rhino, which is a protected animal.
He hunted and killed the black rhino, which was valued at US$120 000.
The State said on July 14, 2022, Nyoni, and four others, hunted and killed a black rhino at Bubye Valley Conservancy in Beitbridge.
They killed the rhino using a .375 rifle, which belonged to Nyoni.
They dehorned it using an axe and the horns were sold in Harare.
The offence was discovered by game scouts. An empty cartridge of the .375 rifle was also recovered.
A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of Prince Mudenda and he implicated Nyoni.
Meanwhile, a 53-year-old man from Beitbridge has been arrested for unlawful possession of two rhino horns.
Last week, the police received a tip-off that Lameck Shumba, together with his accomplices Prosper Zengeya and Abelina Nangai, who are still at large, were in possession of black rhino horns and were looking for buyers from South Africa.
The police posed as potential buyers and lured Shumba and Zengeya to Pagomba Sports Bar in Beitbridge.
The police signaled for backup and when the team arrived they arrested Nyoni and his accomplice fled from the scene.
Shumba was remanded in custody to April 16.