Self-styled religious leader Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa was sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday for the rape and impregnation of a 14-year-old member of his congregation.

The sentence, handed down by Magistrate Estere Chivasa, marks a major legal victory in the government’s ongoing crackdown on child abuse and forced marriages within reclusive religious sects.

Despite Chokurongerwa’s consistent denial of the charges throughout the trial, the State presented conclusive DNA evidence which proved that the 56-year-old prophet had fathered the victim’s child.

In her ruling, Magistrate Chivasa dismissed the accused’s attempts to discredit the forensic findings, noting that Chokurongerwa had shown no remorse for his actions.

She characterized the crime as a grave violation of trust, stating that the accused had manipulated his spiritual authority to exploit a minor who was unable to comprehend the nature of the abuse.

The court was scathing in its assessment of Chokurongerwa’s leadership.

“Religion must never be used as a tool to manipulate or violate vulnerable believers,” Chivasa said, describing the conduct as “morally reprehensible.

The magistrate also took into account Chokurongerwa’s criminal history.

In 2015, the sect leader served a five-year sentence for public violence following a brutal clash between his followers and police at his shrine in Budiriro. While the previous offence was not sexual in nature, the court ruled it demonstrated a pattern of disregard for the law.

The conviction follows a massive police raid on Chokurongerwa’s farm in March 2024, where authorities discovered 251 children, many of whom were being used as cheap manual labor,

16 unregistered graves, including several belonging to infants.