Pastor's rape case 'must go on'

2006-05-09 22:09

Harare - A magistrate in Zimbabwe has ruled that the trial of a prominent pro-government church minister who is accused of raping his maid must go ahead, say reports.

Obadiah Msindo, the leader of the Destiny for Africa Network, had applied to have his case dismissed.

He said that the charges had been trumped up because of his strong support for President Robert Mugabe's government.

According to reports, Harare magistrate Judith Tsamba ruled on Monday that Msindo had a case to answer. Msindo had been accused of raping his 22-year-old domestic servant five times.

Mugabe a 'black Moses'

Tsamba said: "After considering submissions from both counsels, it is this court's finding that there is a prima facie case against the accused and the application is, therefore, dismissed."

The churchman was often a prominent guest at state functions and was loud in his support of Mugabe, who he called a "black Moses".

According to reports, Msindo's lawyers said that the case against him was "riddled with inconsistencies" and maintained that the alleged victim - who said the churchman threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the attack - was not a credible witness.

Lawyer Nickiel Mushangwe said: "He has reason to believe that it is because of his unwavering support for the ruling party that his political detractors plotted his downfall and demise by using the complainant to falsely lay these trumped-up charges against him."

It was reported that rape cases were on the increase in Zimbabwe, but many were unreported or were withdrawn before trial.

- SAPA