Epworth couple jailed for trying to initiate an innocent teen girl into ‘manjuzu cult’

AN Epworth couple has been jailed for kidnapping a teen girl whom they intended to initiate into a Manjuzu scheme.

Fortunate Anesu Kachere (30) and Tadiwanashe Benjamin (25) of Green Valley, Epworth, were convicted after a full trial by Epworth magistrate Ethel Chichera.

They were sentenced to nine months in prison.

The court heard that the minor child was residing with her aunt, Betty Samanyanga, in Jachi Epworth.

The State, represented by Vincent Chidembo, proved that the 15-year-old girl went to the couple’s house on September 25 and told them that she had run away from her aunt because she wanted to make her drink some herbs.

The two kept the child at their house and put in motion their plan to initiate her into ‘manjuzu’.

Later that day, the girl’s mother sent her nephew to the couple’s home to check for the girl and they denied ever seeing her.

On October 3, the girl’s mother received a tip-off that the girl was at the couple’s house and filed a police report.

The police went to the house and recovered the child, who had been drugged.