A 23-year-old woman from Chitungwiza was forced to perform sexual acts with a live lizard and raped on three separate occasions by her ex-boyfriend, a court has ruled.

The accused, Tatenda Justice Charamba (25), denied the charges during trial, but the court found him guilty of three counts of rape. Magistrate Gloria Takundwa sentenced him to 10 years for each count, with 10 years suspended, leaving an effective 20-year jail term.

Prosecutors told the court that Charamba claimed a “covenant” from their past relationship had created a harmful spiritual bond that would affect the woman’s future marriage. He told her that a traditional healer instructed him to conduct rituals using a used condom from their relationship, and when she refused, he used threats linked to spiritual harm.

On 19 March 2025, Charamba took the woman to an entertainment spot near Manyame Dam. He brought a bottle containing the used condom, a snake, a feather and a red cloth written with their names. He threw the items into the dam, telling the victim the act was part of a cleansing ritual.

Two days later, he contacted her again, saying the ritual had failed because she had not thrown the bottle herself. He insisted that she needed to have sex with him for the cleansing to work, threatening to bring a snake, frog or lizard to “sleep with her” if she refused.

Court documents state that fearing for her life, the woman chose the lizard when he threatened her. Charamba returned with the reptile in a container. The following day, he forced her to have protected sex, telling her the ritual had to be completed. He later demanded that the ritual be repeated “without skipping,” resulting in two additional rape incidents.

The victim later confided in a friend on 4 June, who encouraged her to speak to her pastor. The pastor advised her to report the matter to the police. A medical report was produced in court, leading to Charamba’s arrest and eventual conviction.

The case has raised concern over the exploitation of superstition and fear as tools of coercion in sexual violence crimes.

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