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Danisa Masuku

A FAKE prophet who lied to the two ladies that they were plagued with spirits of bad luck and stagnation before stealing their laptop and two cellphones has been jailed.

Brighton Dube (28) from Manningdale suburb in Bulawayo recently appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Makelo Ncube who convicted and sentenced him to 16 months in jail.

Six months were suspended on condition of good behavior while two months were suspended on condition that he restitutes US$65 to Precious Nhliziyo. Dube will spend eight months behind bars.

In his mitigation, he apologised and said: “I believe evil spirits pushed me to lie to the two women in order to steal their electric gadgets. The dire situation at home also forced me to deceive the pair because my son was burnt on the hand when he touched a hot gas stove. I needed money for medical attention and to buy food for my two young children who are aged 5 and 7.”

In a victim impact statement Nhliziyo said: “I’m a student at a local college and by stealing my laptop he disadvantaged me greatly. I failed to conduct my studies well. I wish he could be jailed for several months so that he will feel the pain and reform.”

The court heard that Nhliziyo and Abigail Zhou were facing challenges after that they were told by their neighbour that Dube was a prophet and could help them. On 10 May, the pair invited Dube to their home at Manningdale suburb to be prophesied.

It is said Dube went to their home and prayed for them and “prophesied them revealing to them that their lives were plagued with spirits of bad luck and stagnation”. He also told them that they needed to be cleansed.

He gave them two bottles of 500 mls of water which he had prayed for and told them to pour it in a bucket full of water before instructing them to go and bathe in the bush.

While they had gone, Dube stole a laptop and two cellphones and went into hiding. When Nhliziyo and Zhou returned they found that Dube had disappeared with their laptop and two cellphones. They reported the incident to the police leading to his arrest.