The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
A SELF-PROCLAIMED prophet who made headlines last month after tricking popular Mutare socialites who were searching for men-luring prayers and duped them of their smart phones has struck again.
Simbarashe Chipepera (19) of Masvaure Village, Chief Marange pleaded guilty to all three counts of theft as defined in Section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
Chipepera was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment by senior Mutare magistrate, Mrs Sekai Chiundura.
Six months were suspended on condition of good behaviour and that he restitutes the complainants of their phones. He will serve an effective six-month imprisonment.
Responding to the allegations, Chipepera asked for forgiveness and begged for leniency.
However, the court would not hear of it as he had been warned by the same court earlier last month after committing the same crime.
Representing the State was Mr Fletcher Karombe.
It was alleged that Chipepera approached Shylet Musira at her Sakubva residence on June 22 pretending to be a homeless person.
Said Mr Karombe: “Musira offered him accommodation. He later introduced himself as a prophet. He prophesied to Musira who gave him the impression that she needed spiritual delivered.
“On July 22, however, Chipepera told Musira to use his anointing water to wash her private parts to cast away the evil spirits that he alleged were burdening her.
“When she returned from the bathroom, she found her cellphone, a Samsung Trend together with Chipepera missing.”
It was also alleged that Caroline Muradzikwa and her sister, Enough Muparutsa of Chineta, Sakubva also fell prey to the same trick after they went to Musira’s house seeking spiritual assistance from Chipepera whom she believed to be a prophet.
Chipepera then was staying with Musira and her mother as he had been offered shelter.
“They were ordered by Chipepera to bring $54 as a fee and after bringing it, they were instructed to use his anointing water as a way of casting out evil spirits. After they came back from the bathroom, they found that Chipepera had disappeared with their cellphones,” he said.
Nothing was recovered.
Speaking to The Weekender, Musira said Chipepera had approached her at her Sakubva residence and begged her for a place to stay for the night as he intended to catch an early bus to Masvaure, Marange.
She said it was out of pity that she took him in and promised to help him look for his bus fare since he was homeless.
“He told me that he was coming from Mozambique where he had been in prison after he had been convicted of gold panning charges. He also said he had no bus fare back to Masvaure and that he had no place to stay as he sourced funds for his bus fare.
“We gave him shelter before he tricked Mukai Mudavanhu and her friends and stole from them. After his conviction at the courts on the phone theft charges, he came back here and started helping people who needed spiritual deliverance. However, this time I was the one who fell prey to his antics together with Caroline Muradzikwa and Enough Muparutsa who had come seeking for the ‘man of God’s’ help,” she explained.
She said their phones were nowhere to be found when they came back from bathing and cleansing themselves with the holy water.
“He should be exposed because I am suspecting that the moment he is released from prison, someone else will fall prey to his trickery,” Shylet’s mother begged.
Chipepera committed the theft offences shortly after he had been convicted of duping three Mutare socialites, Mukai Mudavanhu, Brenda Dodzo and Tafadzwa Dodzo of their smart phones using the same technique.
He was ordered to pay $200 fine after he tricked the trio by August 15 when he appeared in court earlier last month before senior magistrate Mr Langton Mukwengi.
