Prophet orders brother to rape 13-year-old

Mashudu Mambo
A 42-YEAR-OLD self-proclaimed prophet from Fort Rixon in Matabeleland South province has been arrested for allegedly  instructing his 17-year-old younger brother to have sex with a 13-year-old girl claiming he was cleansing her of evil spirits which were tormenting her.

The evil spirits tormenting her were suspected to be from her late father and the matter came to light when the minor girl became pregnant.

The self-styled prophet Hlabani Mano has since appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Collet Ncube charged for playing the role of an accomplice in the sexual abuse of the minor girl.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody to 14 March for sentencing.

The court heard that sometime in October last year, the juvenile was attending a church service when she got a prophecy from Mano that she was being tormented by her late father’s spirit and it was going to affect her life.

Mano told her that she needed to be exorcised for three days to do away with the evil spirits.

It is the State’s case that on the first day of the cleansing ceremony, the juvenile was accompanied by her mother and on the second occasion she went alone.

When Mano realised that the juvenile was alone, he exploited the opportunity when he asked her to accompany him to his homestead.

When they arrived, they went to his bedroom where they found his younger brother and Mano ordered the juvenile to have sexual intercourse with him.

After giving the stern instruction he then locked the door and left the two in the bedroom having sex.

After the sexual abuse, Mano came back carrying a burning log and threatened to kill the juvenile if she told anyone about the sexual abuse.

The juvenile came home and told her mother that she had been “successfully” cleansed.

The court further heard that sometime in the same month, Mano’s daughter broke her arm while she was playing, and he then approached the juvenile’s mother and asked if she (victim) could help his daughter to bathe her and she agreed.

At night, Mano pretended to be in a trance and told the victim that the spirit of her father was exorcised on the day she had sexual intercourse with his younger brother.

The incident came to light when the victim missed her period and when she was interrogated by her mother that is when she narrated the ordeal to her.

When the victim’s mother confronted Mano, he later surrendered himself to the police following an uproar from members of the community.