A 33-year-old pastor has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Kwekwe Regional Magistrates’ Court for sodomizing an 18-year-old male congregant.
The conviction followed a full trial that exposed disturbing details of sexual abuse and coercion.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred between August 10 and 11, 2025, at a house in Redcliff, where the pastor, Severino Mbwende of New Creation Life Church in Zvishavane, had spent the night.
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Mbwende had visited the victim’s family and shared a bed with the teenager. Around midnight, the victim woke up to find Mbwende touching him inappropriately and making suggestive remarks before threatening him with a firearm and sodomising him multiple times.
The victim, whose identity has been withheld for legal reasons, later confided in his aunt about the ordeal, leading to Mbwende’s arrest.
Mbwende was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.
In delivering the sentence, the court noted the gravity of the offense and the lasting trauma inflicted on the young victim, emphasizing the need for deterrent punishment.
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