Maid helps ‘prophet’ rape boss’ daughter

Local
A Bulawayo maid allegedly helped a “prophet” to rape her 15-year-old daughter after claiming that she was possessed with evil spirits.

A Bulawayo maid allegedly helped a “prophet” to rape her 15-year-old daughter after claiming that she was possessed with evil spirits.

BY PRESTIGE GAMA

Silibaziso Khupe of Cowdray Park was staying with the girl whose parents lived in South Africa.

Khupe (21) yesterday appeared before the Western Commonage provincial magistrate Willard Mafios Moyo facing rape charges for allegedly assisting Herbert Khumalo to sexually abuse the girl.

Khumalo is still at large and Khupe was remanded in custody to April 15.

Prosecutors said the prophet turned the girl into her sex slave after Khupe convinced her that she needed to be cleansed of evil spirits.

Testifying in court, the girl said she was told that she had been bewitched by her grandmother and needed to be cleansed of the evil spirits.

Prosecutor Mufaro Mageza said at a date unknown to the State, Khupe connived with Khumalo to sexually abuse the girl.

The abuse started immediately after the girl’s parents had left for South Africa.

The victim said when the abuse started, she woke up preparing to go to school and heard Khupe talking on the phone inviting someone to their house.

After taking a bath she was forced to drink an unknown liquid which she was told would prevent her from becoming pregnant.

Khumalo later arrived at the house and Khupe told the girl to go into one of the bedrooms so the prophet could pray for her.

“When I entered, he locked the door and shoved a piece of cloth into my mouth to prevent me from screaming,” she said.

Khumalo told the girl that she was being bewitched by her grandmother before he raped her. He abused the girl every weekend for six weeks until her parents returned from South Africa.

The girl’s mother noticed that her behaviour had changed and quizzed her. She opened up on the abuse, leading to Khupe’s arrest.