Madzibaba Ishmael harbours 48 undocumented children at his Lily Farm
the embattled clergyman makes a futile attempt to shield the alleged crime and 'manufactures' the certificates produced on same date
Mt Hampden- AN officer from the Registrar General’s office has this morning questioned the authenticity of a bunch of birth certificates produced by embattled church leader Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurengerwa.
This comes after the officers from the registrar of birth and death together with the police visited and discovered that about
48 children at Madzibaba Ishmael Lily farm had no birth certificates.
District public prosecutor, Tafara Chirambira and prosecutor Ms Sheila Mupindu led evidence from an officer from the births and deaths registration department Mr Farai Gatusa who went to Lily farm.
He alleged that Chokurongerwa hindered authorities to conduct full investigations.
He was made to comment on birth certificates produced by the defence lawyers stating that they had been obtained in June which is different from what they saw initially. He said they went to the farm in March.
He questioned their authenticity saying they were all obtained on the same day, in June, way after the trial had started.
The State this morning also led evidence from the village head Nzwanai Musonza who expressed shock, hearing that Chokurongerwa and team conducted burials without notifying authorities.
He said he would be called to the funerals and assumed they were all legal.
Chokurongerwa (54) and his seven congregants, Takavengwa Gwenzi (55), Siribiniyo Chikunhire (53), Wonder Kabaya (41), Devlodge Katsande (48), Zebedia Sigudu (49), Aaron Chokurongerwa (47) and Shingirai Ngavafume (42), all from Lilly Farm in Nyabira are facing three counts of ill-treating children, conducting a burial without a burial order and failing to give notice of the birth and death of a person.
The suspects, represented by Musindo Hungwe have denied the allegations saying they did not have a guardian obligation on the minors, hence it was not their duty to take care of them.
They highlighted that none of the alleged victims nor their parents have lodged a complaint with the police, hence the State should not be crying more than the bereaved.
They further stated that they did not conduct any burial of any person without notifying authorities.They also submitted that they were not the only adults at Lily Farm.
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