The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
A man who had adopted her following the death of her parents took advantage of her and turned her into a sex slave.
Her biological parents had died while she was still very young and she had no one to take care of her.
The man she now called ‘Dad’ impregnated her and forced her to abort the pregnancy.
Gamuchirai Maphosa did not see all this coming as the wolf that was hiding beneath sheep’s skin invested in her education and general welfare before raping her.
She was only 19 at the time.
This is what happened to Gamu three years ago in Chipinge.
She told The Manica Post that she kept everything under wraps as she feared for her life due to the constant death threats she was receiving from her ‘dad’.
“He (Prophet James Chitakale of House of God International Fellowship) has a big church in Chipinge and has a strong following. Just uttering his name traumatises me,” she said.
As she shed tears while narrating her ordeal on Tuesday, Gamu insisted that she wants her story to be out there.
She said she is now committed to protecting and advocating for the girl child’s rights, especially those in similar situations.
Gamu claims that Prophet Chitakale threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone of the abuse.
“Up to now, I fear for my life, but I feel like it is time to open up and fight the depression that came with the abuse,” she said softly.
However, she is yet to report the matter to the police.
“He threatened me with death. He said before killing me he will hire the best lawyers in the country to clear his name and make me a laughing stock of the entire community.
“He was my pastor at church and when my grandmother failed to raise money for my school fees, he adopted me and I moved in with him and his family. I was only in Form Two.
“I stayed with him until I finished my Ordinary Level. He gained my trust through those years,” said the young lady who is now 21 years old.
“The abuse then started after he asked me to work for him after finishing school. On this particular day, he just came out of the blues and opened my dress’ front zipper, leaving my breasts exposed. While I was still in shock, he said he wondered why I had not put on the dress correctly, something l do not understand up to now,” she said.
Gamu said later that day, Prophet Chitakale kissed her on the mouth and when she asked him why he was doing that, he did not answer.
“I will never forget that day. It was on October 17, 2021. He came into the room I was in and raped me. I tried to resist but he overpowered me. He said I was wasting my time calling for help. I am still traumatised and I am having a hard time falling in love. The first rape incident remains engraved in my heart as if it happened yesterday,” she said.
After he raped her, Prophet Chitakale allegedly begged for Gamu’s forgiveness while claiming that he had been instructed by the Holy Spirit to ‘torch a spiritual light’ in her by sleeping with her.
“I forgave him. He was on his knees and crying. He made me feel like I was the wrong one.
“However, after forgiving him I became his sex prisoner and was barred from going anywhere outside the house. He would continuously rape me and threaten to kill me if I said anything,” narrated Gamu.
She said she suffers from undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and said funds permitting, she would like to see a doctor as the man forced her to abort her pregnancy after impregnating her.
“After finding out that I was pregnant, he took me to a nurse who forcibly inserted two pills into my womb.
“Thinking about it gives me goose bumps. I lost the baby but the pain was excruciating.
“I wished I was dead and ever since then I have contemplated committing suicide on countless occasions,” she said.
Gamu says she was only let loose after Prophet Chitakale started dating another youthful congregant last year.
When contacted for comment on his availed number, Prophet Chitakale said it was a wrong number and identified himself as Anderson Mwele before ending the conversation.
However, a quick check on the Ecocash platform revealed that the number is registered under James Chitakale.
Repeated efforts to get in touch with him were fruitless as he was no longer picking up calls and responding to text messages.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission recently revealed that at least 22 women are raped daily in Zimbabwe, with an average of one rape taking place every 75 minutes in the country.
Most of these rape cases, like Gamu’s case, go unreported for various reasons, including cultural, religious and social issues.
ZGC’s Commissioner Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe said statistics of rape in Zimbabwe are alarming and on the increase, with unreported cases also on the increase.
She said more needs to be done to encourage victims to report.
“The statistics on the incidences of rape in Zimbabwe are shockingly high. They are not good at all as there are very underreported. This is an indication that the cases that we have on record could be way less as not every victim is reporting,” she said.
In an interview, Mutare lawyer, Ms Natsai Nyamwanza said justice will only prevail after sexual crime is reported to law enforcement agencies.
“Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent.
“The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability, or is below the legal age of consent.
“Like in many matters such as these, victims end up not reporting due to the fear of the perpetrators and it is really a sad situation.
“In this matter, Gamu is alleging that she was raped and is already suffering from the effects of the experience. She needs to be encouraged to open up and seek counselling services.
“She should immediately report the matter, even though it is a few years old, so that the culprit can be brought to book,” said Ms Nyamwanza.
She, however, said in terms of finding evidence, it would have been better if the matter had been reported earlier.
“For rape cases to hold water, they must be reported immediately and evidence should not be destroyed.
“For instance, the clothes that one would have been wearing when the crime was committed should not be washed as this is a form of evidence.
“However, in cases like these, victims should still be encouraged to report despite the fact that the crime was committed a long time ago,” said Ms Nyamwanza.
Gamu promised to make a police report on the matter.
However, she had doubts that justice would prevail considering the time she took before reporting the abuse.
She also revealed that Prophet Chitakale was scheduled to fly out of the country for the United Kingdom yesterday (Thursday).
