A Harare woman who lives with disability yesterday chronicled how Goodness and Mercy Ministries prophet Tapiwa Freddy (T Freddy) allegedly took advantage of the illness and subsequent death of her husband, stalked and raped her.
Testifying during the trial, the woman told the court how she sought financial assistance from Freddy, to finance hospital bills for her bed-ridden husband and how the man of cloth insisted on dating her against her tradition and belief, soon after the death of her husband.
She also told the court how T Freddy raped her with a gun visibly placed on his shoes.
"On August 15, 2019 my husband (name withheld) who has been ill for a long time became serious and we had no money.
"On August 16 I talked to Prophet Freddy since he knew about my husband's illness. I then asked him for financial assistance and he gave me US$2 500.
"I took my husband to Karanda Hospital before he died on August 17. Freddy assisted us with a coffin and transport from Karanda.
"He was assisting me as a church leader and whom we knew at my workplace," she said.
The woman told the court that she visited Freddy sometime in January 2020 with intentions to thank him for the assistance he had rendered her.
"After three months, he started proposing love to me saying you are now glowing. He said since my husband had passed away he could take care of my child.
"I turned down his proposal and told him that it was a taboo in our culture to have an affair before a year had passed.
"During that time he appeared to have agreed with me. After sometime, he continued proposing love from me saying he was afraid that someone would snatch me.
"I then insisted that a year had not lapsed since my husband passed away and he suggested that we could be friends as we wait for the year to lapse," she said.
The woman told the court that Freddy requested to visit her rural home in Chendambuya, Manicaland in November 2020 saying he wanted to assist her child with prayers since she was being stalked by evil spirits.
She agreed and they visited her rural home.
The woman told the court that Freddy allegedly raped her at her place upon their return from Chendambuya.
"When we returned, he went to sleep on the bed and placed his gun in one of his shoes. I asked him why he was on the bed and he came to stand in front of me.
"He told me that he was now my husband and he removed his shirt. He pressed me against his stomach and lifted me by the back and raped me.
"I was crying as he was forcing himself on me," she said.
She said after the sexual attack, Freddy apologised and wiped her tears with his palm. The woman told the court that Freddy threatened her saying he would cause her dismissal from work if she disclosed the incident to anyone.
On the following morning, the woman said that she discovered some cicatrix on her legs and called her uncle informing him of the sexual abuse.
She said after the incident, she later had a love affair with Freddy, which she said came as a result of fear from the threats she was receiving from her lover.
The woman also told the court how Freddy forced her into oral sex, taking advantage of her physical challenge.
She told the court that she never enjoyed her relationship with Freddy as he would emotionally and physically abuse her.
She said she was forced to report the abuses to her bosses and workmates.
The State led by Miss Sheilla Mupindu and Mr George Manokore played a recording which was recorded by the woman during a meeting she held with Freddy and her aunt.
The woman claimed that Freddy was admitting to raping her during the meeting.
Freddy yesterday denied raping and physically abusing his ex-lover when his trial opened before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Gloria Takundwa.
Freddy, known as Prophet T Freddy, is charged with two counts of rape and another count of physical abuse.
Through his lawyers Mr Everson Chatambudza, Mr Jivas Mudimu and Mr Malvern Mapako, Freddy told the court that he had consensual sexual intercourse with his ex-lover and she only cooked up the rape accusations after he terminated their affair.
"Sometime around July 2021, the accused person indicated his intention to terminate his love affair with the complainant citing irreconcilable differences. This did not go down well with the complainant who then began to blackmail and threaten the accused person.
"The complainant specifically indicated to the accused person that she was going to go public about the love affair and threatened to go and make a scene at the accused person's church.
"It was at this juncture that she began threatening the accused person with the rape allegations," he said.
Freddy said the allegations were manufactured to tarnish his good social standing and were aimed at abusing the court processes.
"The allegations of rape have been concocted and crafted by the complainant purely as a counter report and a naive attempt to frustrate her case of extortion which is awaiting trial.
"Those allegations are clearly being motivated by malice and bitterness.
"The conduct by the complainant is a clear gross abuse of court proceedings and the accused will urge this honourable court to refuse to be abused and misused by scrupulous litigants like the complainant," he said.
Freddy described assertions that he used to have sexual intercourse with his ex-lover during her menstrual period as laughable.
"The allegations that the accused was having sexual intercourse with the complainant during her menstrual period are blue lies.
"Those laughable allegations were fabricated by the complainant to tarnish the accused's good name and standing in the society," he said.
Freddy also denied slapping his ex-lover.
The matter continues today.
