A 33-year-old pastor from Zvishavane has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after being convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault by the Kwekwe Regional Magistrates’ Court.
The pastor repeatedly sodomised an 18-year-old male congregant at a house in Redcliff during the early hours of 11 August 2025.
According to court records, the pastor visited the victim’s family on the night of 10 August and was asked to share a bed with the young man, who was sleeping over. Around midnight, the victim woke to find the pastor caressing him.
When confronted, the pastor allegedly told the victim that he was “too handsome” and that his lack of facial hair made him feel “as if he was sharing a bed with a lady.”
He then threatened the young man with a firearm before forcibly removing his boxer shorts and sodomising him multiple times that night.
Before leaving for Zvishavane the following morning, the pastor allegedly threatened to shoot the victim if he told anyone.
The victim later confided in his aunt, who reported the matter to the police, leading to the pastor’s arrest.
The National Prosecuting Authority has urged the public to report all forms of sexual abuse, regardless of the perpetrator’s social or religious standing.
