ZIMBABWE
News Day
THE president of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira, on Thursday vowed traditional leaders would crack the whip on rapists and people who engaged in incest under the guise of culture, saying they were in the same class as murderers.
VENERANDA LANGA
He said chiefs were going to form a coalition with churches in order to root out fly-by-night sects which were coming up with questionable regulations for their members, resulting in sexual abuse of minors and women.
Chief Charumbira was part of the speakers during the launch of the national campaign against rape where female participants accused traditional leaders of taking young and underage girls as wives.
He said traditional leaders who did that should be prosecuted.
“Whites removed criminal jurisdiction from traditional leaders and now we hear there are bribes being paid to law enforcement agents to sweep rape cases under the carpet or give lighter sentences,” Chief Charumbira said.
“Chiefs’ courts should be strengthened because we derive our powers from God and as chiefs, we are going to crack the whip and facilitate nationwide investigations on people who sexually abuse children and women in the guise of culture.”
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