Open letter to H.E President E.D. Mnangagwa

Dear Mr President,

I write this letter with a lot of joy in my heart but on the other end I am bleeding. Allow me to start with the good side. I am one of those who the Zimbabwean population call the Born Free generation because i was born after independence and never saw or experienced the struggle that you and many others went through in fighting for our freedom as a nation. As a young girl I grew up knowing only one leader the ex President. As I was growing, I felt very secure in my Zimbabwe and never knew that I would experience the horror that befell on me as moving into adulthood.

Mr President my biggest joy came not after it was announced that you would lead us as a nation but after your speech because it gave me hope for a good life in a new Zimbabwe. Above all it gave me hope for a justice in a case that saw me almost taking my own life all because of injustice that has been prevailing in my Zimbabwe.

I am traumatised even up to this day and I have serious health complications that I can only share with God because I was threatened never to say a word.
My President I am writing this letter with tears that I cant hold back because I am a victim of multiple rape sessions at the hands of a man they call Prophet Walter Magaya. Allow me to share my story as briefly as I can. I was born in Masvingo and grew up in Mucheke suburb, I lost my parents at a tender age and ended up spending the better part of my teenage years in Gutu where I lived with my grandmother.

Fast forward, in 2015 I moved to Harare with hopes of getting a job as a general worker. Having stayed with a friend for two months with no sign of a job I was invited by another friend to Prophet Magaya's PHD Ministries and I ended up joining the choir as a way of serving God.  A few weeks after going into the limelight, a well know female leader who has since left the church approached me after a Sunday service and informed me that the Prophet wanted to see me as he had a word from God for me. I will never forget this day because of what later happened, it was the 11th of April 2015. I was obviously overwhelmed and stayed behind as instructed. I was driven to one of his guests houses in Greystone Park area where I was told to wait for the man of God.  There were 3 caretakers who were picked up by another car at the gate, leaving me alone in the whole house.  Out of fear of being forgotten I remember calling the person who had dropped me to confirm if the Prophet and his wife were still coming and he assured me of their coming.  At around 22:00hrs, the Prophet entered the lounge in which I was sitting quietly and I knelt down to greet him. Strangely he was alone and I had expected to see his wife with him.  He led me to another room in which there was a double sitter leather sofa and a small glass table.

I was now very worried at this stage and as the thought of fear and anxiety rushed through my mind he grabbed me, forcibly removed my clothes and raped me. I could not even scream as the atmosphere was so tense and I was in a very confused state not believing what was now happening to me. After the rape, he started asking me questions about my life and I struggled to even respond as I was crying and he took his time to comfort me.  He then offered to rent a house for me as by 3 am he knew I had no place to stay and that the friend I was staying with was getting impatient with me not getting a job (I had told him all this).

I had no choice but to sleep on the very couch (sofa) on which I was raped on after he gave me $500 before leaving.  As I lay there I was in tears again debating between reporting him to the police as well as the lady elder who had brought the invitation message.

To cut a long story short I began to receive threats from unknown callers never to share what was happening to me or else I would loose my life.  I lived in a room that he rented for me and I was on a salary but in return I had to sleep with him anytime he felt like. Thoughts of reporting came day and night but the fear of loosing my life was greater.

This went on for months until a friend came and shared with me an ordeal that was very similar to what had happened to me at the hands of the very same man. I later leant that it was a habit of rape as two more girls confessed to the Lady who invited me and the girls were threatened that what happened to a certain Chipo Chakanyuka would happened to them.  This Chipo Chakanyuka in question was murdered in Botswana and its known in the circles of those close to Magaya that she was murdered two days after threatening to expose Magaya rape habit.

Mr President, I later gathered some courage and reported my case at Waterfalls police station in 2016 on a Wednesday the 17th of February. I also remember this day very well because after having narrated my story to the officers, they asked me to take a seat and after close to 40 minutes I saw  through the window two guys from Prophet Magaya's security team walking into the police station. One of the officers who attended me walked to them and they started chatting the next thing they came to me and asked me come with them because "the Prophet wanted to talk to me" they said. I left the station in a huff.
Mr President, Waterfalls police station is more loyal to Magaya than the government.  You can send any girl even on this day to report anything against Walter Magaya and they will brush you off or fake to entertain you then carry the whole report to the man of  God so that he decides on what should be done to you the victim. The level of influence is scary.

I cry with joy at this stage because I see a light of justice but its unfortunate I still fear for my life even at this stage as I am not sure how quick the systems in the police and judiciary will be what I grew up thinking which is to protect poor girls like myself.

I later discovered that I was not alone in this when I went to a certain girl child organisation where I was recorded as the 16th rape victim by the so called Prophet Walter Magaya. I got in touch with the other victims whose names I had seen at the place and they told me that Magaya controlled all the systems from the police to judiciary including the girl child organisation. One of the girls got threats from a person who claimed to be from the former First lady's office and she moved to South Africa out of fear.
The issue of the involvement  of the former First Lady on Magaya's side brought to me fear and I feel more comfortable writing to you as the new President especially because you have opened a door that we could not see in the past.

Mr President, My President of hope, you are our hope for justice and its not only me or the 16 girls whose names I saw but many others girl. I fear coming out in the open until I am sure of the protection. Many girls have been victims and they all fear.
Mr President if your team digs out in the police and judiciary systems there is a handful of cases suppressed and the way they will be handled will open doors for many like me to have justice served. Please Mr President help, I beg you on this not only for me because I have been raped already uncountable times by this Magaya but I now fear for those that are to be victims because Walter Magaya is not stopping as he uses money and fear to block anyone and anything that threatens to bring justice to him.

I surely pray that this letter gets to you Mr President

Yours Faithfully

Destroyed Girl Child
Our Hope is in the #newzimbabwe