A HARARE man whose niece was allegedly raped by jailed Independent End Time Message founder Robert Martin Gumbura yesterday told Harare regional magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni that the 28–year–old complainant never disclosed to him or his wife that she was raped.
PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
Francis Phiri said his niece was under his custody following her mother’s death sometime in 2009.
He was testifying in a case in which Gumbura, currently serving a 40-year-jail term for five other rape counts, is jointly charged with his secretary Tendai Ganyani. Phiri told the court that the complainant left home with his nine–year–old son going to town where she intended to meet her younger sister.
He said he later heard that they went to Gumbura’s church after which they were allegedly forced into one of the vehicles going to the cleric’s Marlborough house.
He said it was then that he met Gumbura for the first time but the complainant, who was 24 at the time, never said anything concerning any abuse although he later heard reports that arrangements had been made for the complainant to get married to one of the church elders.
Phiri said everything that he knew regarding the allegations were based on reports he heard from other people.
This was, however, contrary to what the complainant had said in her statement to the police that she sent a text message to Phiri asking him to come and rescue her. The uncle, however, insisted he never saw the message.
