By DARLINGTON MWENDABAI
THE Chipata Magistrate’s Court has heard how two clergymen inserted their fingers in the private parts of two women whom they paraded naked in the hills while ‘casting out demons’.
This is in a matter involving Misheck Ngalande 33, a prophet of Kapata in Chipata and Benny Banda, 34, a pastor of Chipata’s Chimwemwe who were charged with two counts of indecent assault on a female.
The offence is contrary to section 137 (II) of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia, read with Act number 15 of 2005.
Facts are that the two clergymen on April 25, 2013 at Chipata, jointly and whilst acting together, unlawfully and indecently assaulted Thabitha Mwanza, 9, and Mambwe Mwanza, 22.
Tabitha told Chipata principal resident magistrate Twaambo Musonda in a jam-packed courtroom on Tuesday that she and her older sister Mambwe were sexually assaulted by the two men.
In her testimony during commencement of trial, Thabitha said on April 24, 2013, around 14:00 hours, she was at a prayer meeting at Kapata Hall with her sister Mambwe and their sister-in-law Charity Mumanga.
“Prophet Ngalande told me, my sister and my sister-in-law to carry a pulpit to his house, which we did. We found two dependents, a girl and a boy,” she said.
She said Pastor Banda and Ngalande were happy to see Mambwe, who had a dispute with her other sister at home. The prophet gave Thabitha, Mambwe and Charity appointments for prayers and asked them to write their prayer requests.
The siblings were taken to the hills for prayers the following day (April 25) by the clergymen.
They were made to lie down by Ngalande, who wanted to find out if they had any tattoos on their bodies but they refused to remove their tops.
She told the court that Ngalande held her and Banda held her sister while praying and asked if they had had unprotected sex before and if they had boyfriends.
“I was told by prophet Ngalande that since we had engaged in sex before, we should remove our chitenge and lie down facing up while praying for forgiveness. He told us to demonstrate how we had sexual intercourse by inserting our fingers into our private parts, which we did after hesitating for some time,” she said.
She told the court that Ngalande said they should reveal their sins in the open and shame the devil but were still uncomfortable with the type of ‘delivery’ which required them to undress before men.
She told the court that the prophet warned them that the demons would not be exorcised if they did not continue inserting their fingers in their private parts.
She said while her eyes were closed, Ngalande knelt between her legs and also started stroking her private parts and told her he had done the same to other women in the past.
She said Banda was doing the same thing to her sister, adding that the two men tried to pull down Thabitha and Mambwe’s underwear but failed.
She said she left the hill with her sister and the matter was reported to her sister in-law (Ms Mumanga) who told their mother two days after the incident.
The court further heard that the clergymen tried to offer the family K3,000 which was increased to K5,000 but they refused and recorded the conversation on phone. The two men pleaded to be forgiven for their behaviour.
But during cross-examination, defence counsel from the Legal aid board John Phiri wondered how Ngalande could have stroked Thabitha’s private parts without any sign of bruises and Thabitha maintained that the man did not rape her but inserted his fingers in her private parts.
The siblings are being represented by state prosecutor Justine Zyambo who intends to call six witnesses. Trial continues.