A 41-year-old Salvation Army pastor from Bulawayo has been arrested after he allegedly raped a teenager from the same church on two separate occasions.
Captain Paul Mudede allegedly raped a 19-year-old woman, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, at the church offices and at a hotel following a church outing.The teenager only gathered strength to report the matter recently leading to Capt Mudede’s arrest on Wednesday.
Acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Garikayi Chipfunde yesterday confirmed the arrest.
He said investigations were still in progress hence he could not shed more light on the matter.
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| Salvation Army Pastor Rapes Woman (19) In Church Office and Hotel |
He urged female congregants to avoid being alone in secluded places with their pastors and prophets as some of them have turned out to be wolves in sheep skin.
“Whenever a female congregant intends to visit a male pastor or prophet in their offices or their homes, they should do so in company of their colleagues so that they don’t fall prey to rapists,” he said.
Sources said the pastor is said to have forced himself on the teenager while on a church trip, before raping her again after she had visited him at his church offices.
“We’re told that the pastor sexually abused the young girl on a church trip. While on the church trip, the pastor called the girl to his room where requested that they be intimate but she declined. He pushed her against the bed, forcing himself on her. On a later date, the girl visited the pastor’s office and he again raped her,” said the source.
The source it is not clear how the teenager gathered strength to report the matter to the police.
Police have repeatedly expressed concern over rape cases in the country as most of the sexual abuse perpetrators are known to their victims.
The police have also noted that teenagers were not reporting sexual abuse cases committed against them. www.chronicle.co.zw
