By Brenda Zinyuke
A MAN from Gweru who purported to be a prophet has been arrested while in prison for allegedly raping a teenager after claiming that he was cleansing her of a spell cast on her by her ex-boyfriend.
Merryward Marara (36) of Mkoba suburb allegedly raped the woman (19) of Southwold suburb in Bulawayo whose name has been withheld to protect her identity.
Marara allegedly told the complainant that he was “Madzibaba Jeremiah.”
He was not asked to plead to rape when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Ms Nomasiko Ndlovu.
The magistrate remanded him in custody to December 18 but advised him to apply for bail at the High Court or seek consent from the Prosecutor General.
Marara was incarcerated at Hwahwa Prison in Gweru where he was serving a 12-year sentence for rape which occurred in Zvishavane.
According to court papers, on September 30 last year at around 2PM, the complainant was in the company of her father when they visited Marara at a hill in Westgate area in Bulawayo where he was conducting prayer sessions.
“The accused person who was praying for people stopped praying when he saw the complainant and her father as he had seen them previously,” read the papers.
Marara allegedly spoke to them and ordered the girl’s father to leave her as he wanted to pray for her overnight.
After a short while, Marara finished praying for people and remained behind with the complainant.
He allegedly instructed the complainant to spread a white cloth on the ground.
Marara further ordered her to sleep on the cloth facing upwards with her skirt raised above knee level as he claimed he wanted to see something.
“The accused person told the complainant that the Holy Spirit told him that her ex-boyfriend had used a concoction which had a mixture of his sperm and vaginal fluids so that she would not have any other boyfriend except him,” read the papers.
Marara allegedly told the girl that she was supposed to bring some sperm and vaginal fluids so that he makes a prayer for her and her problems would disappear instantly.
Marara allegedly offered to supply the girl with the sperm if she failed to get it.
The girl allegedly requested that he supplies her with the sperm.
The court papers state that Marara told the girl to follow him to a secret place where he was going to produce and supply her with the sperm.
On arrival at the secret place, Marara ordered the complainant to lie down facing upwards.
“The accused person turned away facing the opposite direction while the complainant closed her eyes as she was afraid of seeing the accused person putting on a condom. He later turned towards the complainant and told her that he could not produce the sperm on his own,” read the papers.
Marara forcibly had protected sexual intercourse with the girl once.
When he was done, Marara allegedly ordered the girl to write her ex-boyfriend’s name on a piece of paper. He took his semen and mixed it with water in a plastic bottle.
“The accused person took the mixture and told the complainant to use it for bathing,” read the papers.
The girl went back home where she told her relatives what had happened. The matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of Marara. The Chronicle
