A 25-year-old Chitungwiza man (name withheld) has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his ex-girlfriend after threatening her with a ritual that he claimed would harm her future.

The Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Court handed down the sentence after the man was convicted of the crime.

According to the court documents, the incident began in February 2025 when the man contacted his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend, claiming to have used a condom from a past sexual encounter for a ritual that would harm her.

He insisted the only way to reverse the ritual was for her to throw the condom into a dam.

“Sometime in February 20-25 the offender contacted his ex girlfriend (23) claiming to have used a condom from their past sexual encounter for every ritual that would harm her future.

He insisted that the ritual could only be undone by throwing a condom into a dam, threatening her that she, her parents and her new boyfriend would die if she did not comply. Fearing for their lives she agreed.”

Two days later, on the 19th of March 2025, the offender took her to a dam.

He brought a bottle containing a condom, a snake, a feather, and their names and gave the victim a choice to have sex with him or a lizard.
She chose the lizard.

The next day, he called and pressured her, saying his sangoma insisted she must have sex with him.Out of fear, she went to his place and was raped.

The abuse continued on April 14, when the man took the victim to a bushy area and sexually assaulted her again without her consent.
He offered her money, but she refused and was threatened with being dumped at her family’s home.

On May 31, the man contacted her again, claiming his sangoma said he had been seen burning the items and needed to restart the rituals to save his life.

He demanded more sexual encounters.
The victim confided in a friend who took her to a pastor on June 4, 2025, and the pastor advised her to report the incidents to the police.
She then filed a report leading to hie arrest.