Nkosentsha Khumalo
The dark side of spirituality continues to surface with each passing day, as yet another case of abuse at the hands of a so-called spiritual leaders has emerged.
Indeed, the adage rings true that “Never judge a book by its cover,” as those who wear the cloak of piety have proven to be wolves in sheep’s clothing.
The unfortunate reality is that the thirst for faith and spiritual guidance has become a breeding ground for exploitation, as seemingly honorable men in positions of religious authority take advantage of the vulnerable and the innocent.
The sanctity of the church, a once sacred space, has been tarnished by these monsters who hide behind the cross and the robe, preying on the devout.
The saying, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves,” has never been more relevant than it is today.
This was never more apparent than in the case of Zireva Solomon, a self-proclaimed prophet in Bulawayo who lured a young woman into a bushy area near his shrine under the pretense of a cleansing ceremony, only to rape her twice in the most despicable display of power and depravity.
The Bulawayo police have arrested the accused person, Zireva who is a 21 year old self-proclaimed prophet from Gwabalanda suburb, in connection with the vile rape of a 19 year old woman at his so-called shrine in Magwegwe North.
The victim was duped into a bush where she was raped twice by the predator masquerading as a man of God, leaving her violated, traumatized, and seeking justice for the crime.
Information released by the police is that the sequence of events began on October 10th this month at approximately 5am when a 19 year old woman from Gwabalanda, Bulawayo, ventured to the residence of Zireva Solomon, a self proclaimed prophet of Johane Masowe, bearing a white cloth that was meant for a cleansing ritual.
Unbeknownst to her, the so-called cleansing ceremony was nothing more than a trap laid by the 21 year old conman, who intended to use her faith as a weapon to commit unspeakable horrors.
As the unsuspecting victim arrived at Solomon’s residence, he charmed her into a false sense of security, urging her to accompany him to his shrine for the cleansing ceremony.
Led astray into the depths of a bush near Magwegwe North, Bulawayo, she was instructed to kneel and pray alongside the alleged prophet, little knowing that she was kneeling not before a man of God, but before a fiendish predator bent on wanting to rape her.
The prophet then ordered her to spread the white cloth on the ground, lie on top of it facing upwards and pray with her eyes closed.
While she was lying down, Solomon is said to have then removed the complainant’s pant and raped her twice without protection.
He then released the complainant and ordered her to go home. The complainant did not reveal the ordeal to anyone but on the 21st of October 2024 she made a police report leading to the arrest of accused person.
“Lack of faith in many people has led to criminals masquerading as prophets taking advantage and sexually abusing women. It is our appeal as the police for churches to preach the gospel of spiritual understanding so that people may be made aware that God can also hear their own prayers without the third hand from the self-proclaimed false prophets.”
“Apart from rape cases, members of the public are robbed of their hard earned cash just because they always seeking spiritual devine intervention which they don’t even understand,” said Police Inspector Abednico Ncube, the Press and Public Relations Officer for Bulawayo Province.
He said the accused person has tarnished the image of the church and of God but will appear in court soon.
Zim GBC News ©2024