A 19-year-old self-proclaimed prophet has been slapped with a $200 fine for sending his four female clients on a fools’ errand to wash their privates with holy water while he disappeared with their cell phones.
Simbarashe Chipepera of Masvaure village under Chief Marange but practises in Sakubva was convicted on his own plea of guilt for theft when he appeared before magistrate Sekai Chiundura.
He was being charged with theft as defined in section 113 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform act chapter 9:23.
Chipepera disappeared with a Vodafone tablet, Nokia x2, mobicell cell phone, Samsung galaxy S4 and a small Samsung cell phone. It was the State’s case that Tafadzwa Dodzo, 25, visited Chipepera’s healing shrine in Sakubva to seek spiritual cleansing. She was advised to return the following day.
On July 12 at 1900 hours Tafadzwa took her two friends Mukai Mudavanhu and Brenda Dodzo and went back to the shrine.
Chipepera then said he wanted to perform the ritual at Brenda’s house where they then went. After the ritual the teen prophet then took Tafadzwa back to his shrine, this time accompanied by her friends Loreen Mapfumo, Tatenda Dodzo and Mudavanhu.
Upon arrival Chipepera then advised the four that they would become luckier and prosperous in life if they performed another cleansing ritual. He advised them to go to the backyard garden at his shrine and wash their private parts with holy water.
He, however, advised all four to place their cell phones in a white cloth. They, however, discovered upon their return that he had long disappeared with all their valuables. They scurried through the whole neighbourhood looking for him without success.
Chipepera was to be arrested the next day at Moto Moto in Mutare Central Business District as he tried to sell the cell phones. Property worth $235 was stolen and that worth $215 was recovered.
