‘Prophet’ goes into hiding

By Thupeyo Muleya

ONE of the two self-styled prophets, Simbarashe Mapuranga (25), accused of stripping a critically ill traditional healer of two cars and R25 000 cash, has gone into hiding after he was released from custody on free bail.

His associate, Luckmore Pawandiwa (32), was convicted on one count of fraud and was ordered to perform 210 hours community service at the President’s Office in Beitbridge

A warrant of arrest has since been issued against Mapuranga.

Beitbridge magistrate Mr Kudakwashe Mhene had initially slapped Pawandiwa with nine months’ imprisonment but conditionally suspended three months.

He also commuted six months to community service on condition that the accused pays R5 125 restitution for damage caused to one of the vehicles.

The suspects, all of House 1204 in Dulibadzimu suburb who had initially been remanded out of custody pending judgement by Mr Mhene, were taken into custody last month following their arrest for interfering with witnesses.

They were later removed from remand prison a few weeks later to give them time to pay restitution for damage caused to the complainant’s vehicle leading to Mapuranga’s flight.

Mapuranga owed the complainant R60 000 in damages to the vehicle and part of the money he stole from her.

When their trial commenced, Mapuranga and Pawandiwa — who had all along denied the charges on two counts of fraud saying the cars were given to them as gifts for healing the complainant — were arrest after they approached the complainant asking for an out of court settlement.

Allegations against the duo arose on May 8 last year when the suspects went to complainant Sarah Sibanda’s homestead at Chigomele near Lutumba Business Centre.

They found a 15-year-old boy and misrepresented to him that they had been sent to collect a Datsun 120Y by her, which they needed to use in their faith healing ritual.

The accused were then given the car keys and also went on to ransack her bedroom hut and took away R25 000 cash and her traditional healing kit.

They proceeded to burn the traditional healing kit against the complainant’s will saying they had been instructed to do soby the "Holy Spirit".

The two suspects returned to the homestead a few days later and took the complainant and dumped her at a shack in Dulibadzimu, which they called "a clinic".

The woman was later rescued by a Good Samaritan who took her to Musina Hospital for treatment.

published by, The Herald 13 April 2010