Madzibaba Gathry And Wife Jailed As Harare Court Reveals What Happened During ‘Healing’ Ritual
Self-styled prophet Madzibaba Gathry has been sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison after being convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl during what was presented as a spiritual healing session.
His wife, Diana Chauke, was jailed for an effective 15 years after the court found that she played a key role in facilitating the offence. The sentences were handed down by Harare Regional Magistrate Estere Chivasa on August 6, 2026, in a judgment that sharply criticised the couple’s conduct.
Harare Court Details Why Madzibaba Gathry And Wife Were Convicted
According to H-Metro, Magistrate Chivasa described Madzibaba Gathry as a “manipulative sadist” and found the complainant’s testimony to be truthful, consistent and supported by medical evidence.
“I found her to be a credible witness. She managed to answer the questions put to her and remained consistent even under cross-examination.”
The magistrate said the 13-year-old promptly reported the abuse to her mother, strengthening the credibility of her account. She also ruled that the complainant was legally incapable of consenting to sexual intercourse because of her age.
Wife’s Role Leads To 15-Year Jail Sentence
The court found that Chauke knowingly facilitated the offence after suggesting that sexual intercourse formed part of the purported healing process. She also left the complainant alone with her husband despite objections from the girl’s mother and was found to have handed him a firearm allegedly used to threaten the family.
“Under normal circumstances, no woman would allow her husband to sleep with another woman. As a couple, they knew why they did it.”
Court Rejects US$500 Debt Defence
The magistrate dismissed Madzibaba Gathry’s claim that the allegations were fabricated over an alleged US$500 debt (about R8,250) owed by the complainant’s mother. The court found there was no credible motive for the teenager to falsely accuse him.
The complainant’s mother, who had also been charged, was acquitted after the court accepted that she acted under duress after allegedly being threatened with a firearm.
Prosecutor Tracy Mundanga represented the State. The judgment concluded a case in which the court found that a family’s search for spiritual help instead led to serious criminal offences.
The post Madzibaba Gathry Jailed 20 Years For Raping Teen, Wife Gets 15 As Court Delivers Scathing Judgment appeared first on iHarare News.
