By Sukoluhle Ndlovu
For 27 year old Susan Sibanda (not her real name), the search for spiritual guidance became an experience she says left her confused, frightened and struggling to speak out.
Having lost her parents at a young age and moving between relatives, Sibanda joined an apostolic church hoping to find belonging and acceptance. This is the same church she had attended with her mother while she was still in primary school. This time, things had been a bit different. What initially appeared to be spiritual support gradually took a different turn when a senior church member began giving her what she describes as manipulative prophecies about her life.
Sibanda said the church member eventually told her that he had received a prophecy instructing him to have sexual intercourse with her to drive away a spiritual husband allegedly haunting her.
“The relationship had started off as decent, and it gradually turned into something confusing and different. He had been sharing confusing and manipulative prophecies with me concerning my life. At one point, he said he had received a prophecy instructing him to have sexual intercourse with me to chase away a spiritual husband that was haunting me. It happened, and I was afraid to speak out because he made it look like it was my fault,” she said, struggling to hold back tears.
Her account highlights the vulnerability of women who turn to religious institutions for support and the difficulties they may face when people they trust use spiritual authority to manipulate them.
For survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), the struggle may extend beyond the abuse itself. Fear, shame, threats of spiritual punishment, pressure from religious communities and concerns about whether they will be believed can make speaking out difficult.
According to a psychologist, Petty Musekiwa, the authority religious leaders hold in their communities can make it difficult for victims to challenge inappropriate behaviour.
“When a religious leader is seen as chosen by God, victims may feel that saying no is equal to disobeying God. This creates pressure, fear, and confusion,” Musekiwa said.
She said abuse could develop gradually, with a perpetrator initially offering attention, emotional support or private counselling before using that relationship to exert control.
“What starts as ‘care’ slowly becomes control,” she said.
Musekiwa said some victims were threatened with spiritual consequences if they refused sexual demands or disclosed what had happened to them.
“If someone is told that speaking out will bring death, madness, barrenness, misfortune, or divine punishment, they may remain silent out of terror,” she said.
Such manipulation can leave survivors questioning their judgement and feeling responsible for what happened to them.
Musekiwa said survivors could experience anxiety, depression, guilt, shame and nightmares. Some may also struggle to form relationships or reconcile their faith with the abuse they experienced.
She said survivors needed compassionate, confidential and non-judgmental support, including trauma-informed counselling, medical care where necessary and legal assistance. The responsibility for abuse, she stressed, rests with the perpetrator, not the survivor.
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) spokesperson Muchanyara Mukamuri said reported abuse in religious spaces reflected unequal power relations and the silencing of women.
She said women were often socialised to respect and submit to male authority figures, a situation that could be exploited by people in positions of influence.
Mukamuri said religious leaders should not be treated as being above the law and that allegations of abuse must be investigated, with perpetrators held accountable where evidence establishes wrongdoing.
She called for churches to introduce clear safeguarding policies, accessible complaints procedures and independent oversight mechanisms.
Women and girls, she said, also needed information to help them understand their rights and recognise the difference between legitimate spiritual guidance and manipulation.
Mukamuri said survivors should be heard and protected rather than blamed or shamed. Her concerns raise questions about how religious institutions respond when allegations involve their own leaders and whether survivors can report abuse without facing pressure to remain silent.
Lawyer and former magistrate Ernest Muzembe said Zimbabwean law could be used to prosecute sexual conduct committed under the guise of religion when the circumstances meet the legal definitions of offences such as rape or indecent assault.
Referring to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23], Muzembe said consent must be genuine and should not be obtained through threats, intimidation, fraud or misrepresentation.
“If you threaten a person by saying, ‘Spirits are going to follow you,’ and the person genuinely believes in you as a prophet or church leader, their consent is not genuine. It is informed by threats or induced by fraud,” he said.
He added that spiritual claims could also be relevant in cases involving indecent assault where they were used to justify inappropriate touching.
However, Muzembe said proving sexual offences could be difficult, particularly where the alleged abuse occurred in private and there was little independent evidence.
Survivors may delay reporting because they fear being blamed, losing important relationships or not being believed. Others may struggle with the prospect of confronting a respected religious leader in court or facing members of the congregation during proceedings.
The court process itself can be intimidating, with lengthy proceedings and cross-examination adding to the pressure on complainants.
Muzembe said people who experienced abuse should consider seeking help from someone they trust as soon as possible. The person first told about an incident may later be able to provide evidence about when and how the disclosure was made.
He also pointed to the importance of witness-protection arrangements, including legally available measures that can allow vulnerable witnesses to give evidence under special conditions.
But concerns about what happens after a survivor gives evidence may also influence the decision to pursue a case.
The challenge, therefore, is not only whether the law criminalises sexual abuse, but whether survivors can report allegations, obtain support and participate in legal proceedings without being subjected to further intimidation or distress.
A parliamentary committee examining gender-based violence and the protection of women and children has also raised concerns about the absence of a clear legal framework for regulating church operations.
The committee said the lack of such a framework made it difficult for the Zimbabwe Republic Police to execute its constitutional mandate to investigate abuse, with police often waiting for individuals to come forward before investigations were instituted.
It also expressed concern that some religious institutions were allegedly taking advantage of the lack of legislation to sexually abuse women and girls seeking spiritual deliverance.
The committee questioned claims that churches were registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare, saying it had been informed that religious institutions did not register under that ministry.
The concerns highlight the need to examine how religious institutions are held accountable when allegations of abuse arise. Any regulatory framework, however, must distinguish legitimate religious practice from criminal conduct and respect constitutional protections for freedom of religion.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Judith Ncube has also expressed concern about GBV in religious spaces.
“It saddens my heart to hear that more than 80 percent of Zimbabweans are Christians and when we hear that cases of GBV are on the rise we wonder who is committing these hideous crimes,” Ncube said.
“Unfortunately, our churches are no longer safe for our women and girls, as pastors, prophets and bishops have joined in inflicting on the vulnerable when we expect them to take part in ensuring our homes are safe,” she added.
Her remarks reflect wider concerns about the responsibility of religious institutions to protect vulnerable members of their communities rather than expose them to further harm.
The difficulties surrounding sexual abuse allegations in religious settings have also been reflected in court proceedings involving prominent church leaders.
Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries founder Walter Magaya has faced rape charges, which he denies. His cases have encountered procedural disputes and postponements, illustrating how criminal proceedings can become protracted.
In January 2026, the trial in one of the rape matters failed to begin after the State told the court it was not ready to proceed. Prosecutors cited logistical problems involving a key witness based in Ireland. Magaya’s lawyer opposed the postponement, arguing that the prosecution was unprepared. The court dismissed Magaya’s application seeking to prevent further postponements or have him removed from remand.
In March, the High Court temporarily halted proceedings pending the determination of a legal challenge concerning the use of a Victim Friendly Court for complainants’ testimony.
In August, the High Court overturned a magistrate’s decision allowing three women accusing Magaya of rape to testify as vulnerable witnesses, finding that the required legal procedure had not been followed. The matter was sent back to the magistrates’ court for reconsideration in accordance with the law. Magaya denies the allegations and he’s set to appear in court again on November 30, 2026.
While the accused is entitled to a fair trial, the proceedings nevertheless demonstrate how disputes over witness arrangements, delays and the handling of evidence can affect the progress of cases involving sexual offences. For survivors, the prospect of repeatedly returning to court or waiting for proceedings to move forward may add to the emotional burden of pursuing justice.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the national police spokesperson, has said that some victims do not report cases to the police, making it difficult for authorities to pursue criminal cases.
His remarks highlight a broader challenge in investigating abuse involving vulnerable victims: police may struggle to pursue cases when incidents go unreported or complainants are reluctant to participate in investigations.
For survivors who experience sexual exploitation in religious settings, the consequences can be particularly complicated when the alleged perpetrator is also someone they once trusted for spiritual guidance.
Sibanda’s account shows how claims of spiritual intervention can be used to create fear and confusion, making it difficult for a victim to speak out. Her experience also raises questions about whether people seeking help in religious institutions have access to safe, independent channels for reporting abuse.
Musekiwa said survivors needed support that recognised the trauma they had experienced and allowed them to make decisions without further pressure or judgment.
Mukamuri said government, civil society organisations and faith leaders needed to work together to strengthen safeguards and ensure that women and girls were protected.
The response must include accessible reporting channels, confidential support, trauma-informed services, appropriate witness protection and investigations that do not depend solely on a survivor having the confidence to confront an influential figure alone.
Religious institutions also have a responsibility to respond seriously to complaints, protect those who report abuse and cooperate with lawful investigations rather than treating allegations as attacks on faith itself.
For survivors, justice means more than having laws on paper. It means being able to speak without fear, receive support without blame and pursue a complaint without being abandoned to the consequences.
Faith can offer comfort, hope and belonging. But it should never be used to demand sexual compliance, silence victims or place religious leaders beyond accountability.
Until survivors can safely speak out and have their complaints handled fairly, the search for justice will remain an uncertain and painful journey for many women and girls.
