Rapist ‘healer’ jailed for 25 years
(Namibia) Rapist ‘healer’ jailed for 25 years
ANGOLAN traditional healer Bonifatius Mbwale betrayed the trust of women who had turned to him for treatment when he raped them.
Mbwale betrayed the patients who believed in his abilities as a traditional healer, and exploited the women he raped to satisfy his most primitive urges of lust.
This was said by Judge Christie Liebenberg when he sentenced Mbwale – 66 years old, and the father of 30 children with seven different mothers – in the Oshakati High Court to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment on Friday.
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Those who practise traditional healing should realise that they do not have total freedom when it comes to the treatment of people, and that they are under a moral duty to treat their clients with the necessary respect and dignity, without infringing any of their human rights, Judge Liebenberg said. If they fail to respect their patients’ rights, they could be prosecuted and severely punished when convicted, he warned.
Those who believe in traditional healing should also at all times be mindful of their rights, and be careful of being gullible enough to accept treatment which appears to be inconsistent with traditional healing practices, Judge Liebenberg added.
Mbwale was sentenced on seven counts of rape, on which he was convicted on 26 June. He stood trial on 13 charges of rape, and was acquitted on six of those counts.
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