Pastor Gumbura Trial Opens

The Zimbabwe Mail
December 09, 2013

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/zimbabwe/19673-pastor-gumbura-trial-opens.html

THE trial of Harare pastor Martin Robert Gumbura, accused of raping seven women from his church, opened yesterday with the man of the cloth denying the charges and claiming that some of the victims were his lovers.

In his defence, the pastor who has 11 wives and 30children, said he had consensual sex with five of the women including his sixth wife’s young sister.

Harare area public prosecutor Mr Jonathan Murombedzi and Mrs Kudzai Chigwedere, who represented the State in the case, applied to have all the witnesses testify in camera but regional magistrate Mr Hoseah Mujaya only granted the application in respect of three.

Outlining the defence case, Gumbura’s lawyers Ms Rekai Maposa and Mr Emmanuel Samundombe said Gumbura intended to marry the women and that the rape charges do not stick.

He, however, accused Spoken Word Ministries leader Pastor Godwin Chitsinde of conniving with the victims to fabricate rape charges against him.

Part of the defence outline read, “In as far as one of the complainants is concerned, he will state that he was involved in a love relationship with her since 2006 up to the time she was married to another man.

“He will further state that the sexual intercourse between them was by consent.

“He will also state that marriage arrangements were at an advanced stage but, however, failed to marry her since her mother did not want her to be married to a polygamist.”

He added that the supposed marriage between him and his wife’s young sister could not materialise since his wife (victim’s sister) could not approve of the union.

Gumbura also said that he even stayed with one of the complainants as his wife for six years. The court heard that one of the victims is just bitter after Gumbura dumped her upon finding out that she was cheating on him.

Gumbura told the court that Pastor Chitsinde had been fighting him ever since he broke away from the church in 1980 and formed his own RMG End Time Message.

“The accused will reiterate that he is a victim of church politics and those fabricating stories want to ensure his demise. His religious ideology is different from that of his rival Pastor Chitsinde. Since the breaking away, the two have not been on talking terms.

“All the victims have since joined Chitsinde’s church, hence the false allegations,” read part of the defence outline.

Gumbura further denied possessing pornographic material, adding that the discs which were found in his store-room were not his but had been surrendered to him by church members who had repented and wanted to burn them.

He added that there was nothing criminal about him possessing sexual enhancement drugs considering that as a polygamist he needed to satisfy all his wives.

While giving evidence in an open court which was fully packed, one of the victims, a 31-year-old told the court that pastor Gumbura claimed to have slept with all the girls in his church before they got married.

“When I was about to have a white wedding with my fiancée whom I had been forced to marry in church, the accused called me to his house and asked to sleep with me.

“He told me that no girls in his church should get married without him first sleeping with them.

“When I refused to have sexual intercourse with him, he then threatened to put me in the hands of the devil.

“He also said that it was a privilege to have sexual intercourse with him since he would have thought of her ahead of all the women in his life,” she said.

The woman further said that Gumbura repeatedly raped her on numerous occasions and when she got pregnant, Gumbura took her to one doctor Musuka who terminated the pregnancy.

The woman told the court that she did not report the sexual abuse to the police on time since she feared the pastor whom she said is regarded as God in their church.

She said Gumbura committed her father in the hands of the devil in 1987 and since then misfortunes follow him.


The trial continues today.