Faith Healer, Wife Deny Ritual Rape and Accomplice Charges in Shocking Trial

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

HARARE — Self-styled faith healer Madzibaba Gathry Chirodzero and his wife, Diana Chauke, on Monday took the witness stand to deny harrowing allegations of rape and accomplice involvement in a high-profile trial that has exposed the dark underbelly of spiritual exploitation disguised as traditional healing. Chirodzero is facing formal charges of raping a minor, while Chauke (37) and the complainant’s 45-year-old biological mother stand co-accused as accomplices in enabling the alleged assault.

Manipulative Rituals and Alleged Threats

Testifying in his defense, Chirodzero told the court that he originally met the complainant's family through a neighbor who sought spiritual assistance for the victim's sister. He maintained that he merely performed healing rituals using a water plant locally known as garadziva, instructing the family members to bathe with it at his residence on several occasions.

However, State Prosecutor Ms. Tracy Mundanga fiercely challenged his testimony, alleging that Chirodzero intentionally orchestrated a psychological campaign to isolate and disarm the victim's family.

"You had a motive to make the brother insane because when he set foot at your house he was okay, and you made him mad," Prosecutor Mundanga put to Chirodzero. "You made him mad in order to disarm the mother and her children so that you could rape the complainant."

Mundanga dismissed Chirodzero’s claims that the family fabricated the rape accusations over an unpaid spiritual bill, accusing him of inventing a cover story to evade justice.

In a dramatic courtroom exchange, the complainant's mother, who remains on trial alongside the couple, interrogated Chirodzero directly. She alleged that after subjecting her daughter to violent spiritual rituals, Chirodzero insisted that sexual intercourse with the child was spiritually mandatory to heal her siblings. The mother further claimed that Chirodzero threatened to shoot her with a firearm when she initially resisted, forcing her to yield out of fear for her life. Chirodzero denied owning a firearm or issuing death threats.

Wife Claims Religious 'Uncleanliness' Defense

Taking the stand in her own defense, Diana Chauke denied complicity, explaining that she slept in a separate room on the night of the incident because she was menstruating a state considered "unclean" under their apostolic doctrine, which barred her from sharing the matrimonial bed.

Chauke testified that her young son alerted her after seeing his father and the complainant together in the main bedroom.

"When my son came to tell me, I went to the bedroom and found the complainant sleeping on her own," Chauke testified, adding that she subsequently gave the victim fresh underwear.

Prosecutor Mundanga countered that handing over clean underwear was a deliberate attempt to destroy forensic evidence, accusing Chauke of acting as an active accomplice throughout the ordeal.

"You took the complainant to your lap, and you told her that she was now your husband's wife," Mundanga argued. "The following morning... when she refused, you were called in to make it happen... and she was raped for the second time."

Chauke rejected all prosecution assertions. Regional Magistrate proceedings for the trial are set to resume on July 30, 2026.

Madzibaba Gathry Chirodzero rape trial in Harare