A 25-year-old man from Chitungwiza has been apprehended by law enforcement officials following allegations of repeated rape against a 23-year-old woman. The disturbing details of the case involve claims that the accused, Justice Tatenda Charamba of Zengeza, used a live snake and a lizard to intimidate and coerce the victim.
According to reports, the alleged abuse began in 2023 after Charamba lured the woman to his residence. It is claimed that during the initial assault, Charamba used protection and then kept the condom wrapped in a red cloth, which he asserted had been treated with juju (traditional magic) by a sangoma (traditional healer).
The red cloth, bearing both their names, became a tool of manipulation, with Charamba allegedly threatening the woman that she was forbidden from marrying anyone else. He warned her that any marriage to another man would be doomed to failure if she engaged in relations with anyone other than himself.
Seeking to break free from this alleged curse, the woman was persuaded by Charamba to accompany him to Manyame River for what he described as a ritual to reverse the effects of the juju.
On 19 March 2025, at approximately 2 pm, the pair travelled to Leisure Centre Dam for the purported cleansing ceremony. Charamba carried a bottle containing a used condom, a snake, a bird feather, and the red cloth inscribed with their names.
He allegedly cast the bottle into the dam, leading the woman to believe that he had freed her from a malevolent omen that would have jeopardised her chances of a successful marriage. Following the ritual, they parted ways.
However, the respite was short-lived. On 21 March 2025, at around 5 pm, Charamba visited the woman at her home, claiming that a sangoma had informed him that the cleansing process had been incorrectly performed.
He told her that, according to the sangoma, she was the one who was supposed to throw the bottle into the dam. To rectify the situation, he insisted that they needed to have relations, or alternatively, she would have to engage in relations with a lizard that he had brought with him in his bag.
Faced with this bizarre and terrifying choice, the woman chose the lizard. Charamba handed her the lizard in a container and then left her residence.
The ordeal continued on 22 March 2025, at around 3 pm, when the woman, driven by fear, engaged in protected relations with Charamba.
Following this act, Charamba allegedly informed the woman that they were required to repeat the act on two more separate occasions and that she was not to interfere with the process.
Over a period of time, Charamba is alleged to have assaulted the woman on multiple occasions in various locations, including a bush area. He collected her undergarments and then burnt them along with the used condoms.
In April, Charamba informed the woman that his sangoma had revealed that some people had witnessed them burning the undergarments during the final cleansing process, rendering it ineffective.
He then told her that they were required to have relations from 10 June to 30 June 2025, to rectify the mistake.
When the woman refused, Charamba allegedly resorted to sending threatening messages to her and her mother, threatening them with death.
Fearing for her safety and that of her mother, the woman finally reported the matter to the police.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed the arrest.
“Police arrested a man in connection with rape and possession of live snake he used to threaten the complainant,” said Insp Chakanza.
“Investigations are in progress and he is expected to appear in court soon.”
Insp Chakanza also confirmed that the victim has been taken to Chitungwiza Central Hospital for medical examination.
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