Madzibaba Ishmael’s Trial Takes Emotional Turn As Victim’s Mother Testifies

Madzibaba Ishmael’s Trial Takes Emotional Turn as Victim’s Mother Testifies

H.Metro

The trial of Apostolic sect leader Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa and his seven alleged accomplices took a dramatic turn last Friday when one of the victims’ mothers, Memory Munanairi, broke down in court while testifying.

Munanairi, the eleventh witness, is the mother of the late Hazel, whose death revealed the disturbing practices at the sect’s shrine in Nyabira.

Prosecutors Tafara Chirambira and Sheila Mupindu led the testimony as Munanairi detailed the oppressive rules enforced by Chokurongerwa, who was regarded as “god” at the shrine.

She described how male adults were granted absolute power over their wives, with no woman allowed to challenge her husband’s decisions.

Munanairi recounted how church members were forbidden from sending their children to school or seeking medical treatment, and how men were pressured to marry multiple wives under the threat of a curse or death from the Holy Spirit.

Munanairi revealed that her daughter Hazel was married off at just 15 years old, and she was forced to act as the midwife when Hazel gave birth to children who were never registered or sent to school.

Munanairi was eventually expelled from the shrine for expressing concern about her daughter, and her husband was given a new wife. She only returned with a police escort after learning that Hazel had died and been buried in secret.

The trial resumes today, with Chokurongerwa (54) and his co-accused—Takavengwa Gwenzi (55), Siribiniyo Chikunhire (53), Wonder Kabaya (41), Devlodge Katsande (48), Zebedia Sigudu (49), Aaron Chokurongerwa (47), and Shingirai Ngavafume (42)—facing charges of ill-treating children, conducting a burial without a burial order, and failing to report a birth and death.

In their defense, the accused claimed they had no obligation to care for the minors and denied conducting any burial without notifying authorities.

They argued that no complaints had been lodged with the police by the victims or their parents, suggesting that the State was overreacting. They also asserted that they were not the only adults present at Lily Farm.

-H.Metro