251 children rescued in the arrest of a fraudulent 'prophet'

Zimbabwean police said on March 14 they had arrested a man claiming to be a prophet of an apostolic sect. During a raid on his home, authorities rescued 250 children believed to be being used as cheap labor for the sect.

The prophet caught the bomb and rescued 251 children, picture 1 — Zimbabwean police and believers during the arrest of Ishmael Chokurongerwa, a self-proclaimed prophet - Photo: Independent

Ishmael Chokurongerwa, 56, the self-styled “prophet” who leads a sect with more than 1,000 members, was arrested along with seven aides at a farm about 34 km northwest of the capital Harare, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said in a statement.

According to Mr Nyathi, police suspect that the children “were used to perform various physical activities for the benefit of the cult leader”. Of the 251 children, 246 did not have birth certificates.

“Police have established that all the school-age children are deprived of formal education and are being exploited as cheap labour, doing manual work under the guise of being taught life skills,” Mr Nyathi said at a press conference.

Zimbabwean police also found 16 unmarked graves at the farm, seven of which contained the bodies of seven infants whose burials were not registered with the authorities.

Zimbabwe’s H-Metro newspaper was the only media outlet allowed to join the police in the raid on the farm of “prophet” Chokurongerwa. The newspaper said that believers there had been “brainwashed” into confusion.

Some female followers even fought with police to get their children back when they were put on buses to be freed from abuse. “Why are they taking our children? We feel comfortable here. We have no problem here,” a woman shouted in a video posted on H-Metro’s X account.

Apostolic groups that infuse traditional Pentecostal beliefs are popular in Zimbabwe - a country with a deeply religious background.

There is little detailed research on apostolic churches in Zimbabwe, but UNICEF studies estimate it is the largest denomination in the country of 15 million people, with about 2.5 million adherents.

Many apostolic groups in Zimbabwe adhere to a doctrine that requires followers to eschew formal education for their children as well as medicine and medical care for members, who must instead seek healing through faith in prayer, holy water and anointing stones.

Nguyen Khanh (according to Guardian, Independent)

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