Woman passes out during sexual assault by Madzibaba

A woman who was allegedly raped by Johane Marange Simon branch leader Clement Momberume after being drugged, has said that she passed out during the sexual assault.

Taking to the witness stand before senior regional magistrate Mark Dzira on Thursday, the woman who is a second wife of Momberume's nephew, said she passed out during the alleged rape because of Momberume's heavy stature.

"It took a while before I reported this matter to police partly because my husband decided we should first try to resolve the issue among ourselves. However, when we finally made a report, the investigating officer sergeant Sibanda mistreated me. She never gave me a chance to thoroughly go through my statements but I was made to quickly sign them. In all instances she kept on saying I was delaying the whole process and I feel some of the contents in the statements submitted to this court are false," she said.

Sgt Sibanda has been identified as one of the defence witnesses set to testify against the woman.

Asked why she agreed to meet her alleged rapist the second time at the same hotel, the woman said: "He made me believe he wanted to apologise for raping me the first time. When I got into his room, he locked the room and undressed while I was drinking some beverages," she added.

Represented by Dumisani Dube from Mathonsi, Ncube Legal Practitioners, Momberume denied meeting the woman or having sex with her. "The police report was made to spite me since her husband and I go to rival factions of the Johane Marange church. I have never slept with her and this is a fabrication from her husband who has a vendetta against me," he said.

Magistrate Dzira remanded the matter to June 29.

Momberume's nephew sued him for $10,000 last year, accusing him of adultery.The woman told the court Momberume had insisted on going to a hotel so he could prophesy on her.

"I was introduced to him by my husband and he asked for my number. I was surprised when I received a phone call from him in my husband's absence and he said he wanted to meet me after work. I knocked off and he picked me from TM Hyper Supermarket and we proceeded to a hotel," said the woman.

"He said I needed cleansing as my husband kept a two-headed snake in Mutare and gave me a drink. I took the drink and started feeling dizzy and that is when Momberume asked me to follow him. I was not conscious of what was happening. The next thing I saw myself in a hotel room and Momberume started undressing."

She added that she is asthmatic and that Momberume undressed her and raped her on the bed once. "I gained consciousness later and found myself naked with water all over my body. I dressed up and he took me to a taxi rank and told me to go home. I went home and when I tried to tell my husband, he brushed me off saying his first wife was sick and he wanted to first deal with that," she said.

"Momberume called me the next day saying he had confessed to my husband and that we were supposed to meet with him at the same hotel to explain. I met him at the same hotel and he said my husband was on his way. As we waited, he offered me a drink and I took it."

According the woman, Momberume placed her on the bed and raped her once again.

"After failing to tell my husband, I finally told him over the phone as he had travelled to see his sick wife. He told me to wait for him to return to Bulawayo. He came back and we made a police report."

Prosecuting Robin Mukura told the court that on April 9 in 2013, Momberume met the woman and took her to a local hotel.

"The two had drinks in the lounge and Momberume started prophesying about her family matters. He then requested that that they go to a private room as his prophecies were too serious for the public," said Mukura

He said Momberume continued with his stories inside the room and when he realised that the woman was drunk and intimidated, he undressed her and placed her on the bed.

"Momberume raped the woman once and since he was all over the complainant, she lost consciousness for some hours. After four days, Momberume called the woman and said he was sorry requesting they meet as he wanted to apologise."

Mukura told the court that two proceeded to the same hotel and waited for the husband to turn up in a room.

"The woman tried calling her husband but Momberume took her phone and threw her onto the bed. He again raped her once. On her way home, the woman called her husband who had gone to Mutare and told him she had something serious to tell him," said Mukura.