Woman attacked, raped during prayer

A WOMAN who was conducting a morning prayer at a stream in Entumbane in Bulawayo was hit with a brick by an unidentified man before being dragged to a secluded place where she was raped.

The suspect is still at large and police are appealing for information that may lead to his arrest. The incident occurred at around 6am on Saturday at a church shrine near Fambeki stream, between Entumbane and Emakhandeni suburbs. Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango confirmed the incident.

“We are investigating a case of rape where an unidentified man emerged from behind the woman, grabbed her by the neck and dragged her to a secluded place about four metres away from the church shrine.

“The victim tried to wrestle the suspect, leading to the suspect picking up a stone and hitting her once on the forehead and she fell to the ground.

“He then stripped her of her undergarments and raped her once without protection,” she said.

After the act, Chief Insp Simango said, while the suspect was still putting on his trousers, the woman managed to escape, leaving the suspect at the scene. She headed to Entumbane Police Station where she made a report.

Chief Insp Simango warned members of the public against holding prayers alone at secluded places.

Last month, a self-proclaimed prophet from Bulawayo allegedly raped a 19-year-old woman after she had approached him seeking treatment.

“The self-styled prophet, only identified as Madzibaba Jeremiah, is a faith healer who performs healing sessions at a hill near Westgate. He allegedly dismissed the victim’s 42-year-old father who had escorted the victim to the shrine for prayers.

During consultation, he then told the victim that her ex-boyfriend had used his sperm and her fluids to bewitch her so she should bring fresh sperm for the problem to be resolved.

“The prophet asked her to pick up a piece of cloth and lured her into a nearby bush where he raped her once.

“He took the used condom and put it in a bottle with a piece of paper with names of the victim and her ex-boyfriend.

“He ordered her to drink the concoction when she got home. He made a final prayer and told her to return home using a different route from the one she had used when coming to the shrine,” police said.