• HOLY Fire Christian Ministry Church Bishop Dominic Nyondo shielding his face from cameras at the Kitwe magistrate’s court after he appeared for defilement yesterday. Picture by MOFFAT CHAZINGWA.

By ETAMBUYU SANG’ANDU-
THREE Holy Fire Christian Ministry Church members have testified how a bishop allegedly sexually abused them on the pretext that he was cleansing them of the evil spirits.
This is in a case in which Dominic Nyondo of Holy Fire Christian Ministry Church is charged with three counts of defilement, five of rape and one count of indecent assault.
Nyondo of house number 853, Ipusukilo Township, allegedly sexually abused nine female church members aged between 14 and 45 years on the pretext that he was removing ghosts from them.
The offences were allegedly committed between April 2010 and June 2014.
Testifying in the matter, a 14-year-old girl told senior magistrate Daniel Musonda that Nyondo shaved her pubic hair as a procedure in the process of cleansing her from evil spirits.
The girl, who could not recall the actual date, narrated that she went to Nyondo’s house where he informed her that the Holy Spirit had instructed him to pray for her at the mountain so that she could be delivered from evil spirits.
She told the court that Nyondo gave her K5.00 to buy paraffin, matches, salt and Cowbell milk powder.
The court heard that the girl was further told to buy pieces of white and black cloth and instructed to meet the accused person at the bridge along the Kafue River.
“When we reached the bridge, he made me kneel down and asked me to offer a prayer of forgiveness. He then took a razor blade and asked me to remove my clothes before shaving my private parts,” the girl said.
The girl said she started crying and that was how Nyondo told her that they would continue the process on another day as the evil spirits had to be removed.
Another witness, a grade 11 pupil, told the court that the accused had sex with her on two occasions in December 2011.
The girl told the court that Nyondo told her that the Holy Spirit had instructed him to pray for her in secrecy and that she needed to buy paraffin and sweets which would be used at the mountain.
The court heard that when they reached the mountain, she was asked to swear using a Bible that she would not tell anyone, otherwise she would die.
She said the accused person told her that they should continue having sex for months since she was a virgin until the evil spirits stopped tormenting her.
Another witness testified how Nyondo ‘anointed’ her with a mixture of milk and anointing oil to allegedly remove ghosts from her before having sex with her.
The matter comes up on August 25 this year for continued hearing. (See picture on Page 2)