A fake Zimbabwean prophet has been apprehended and mandated to compensate a family he deceived by falsely asserting a ‘spiritual debt’ owed by a man the victim never knew.
Tinashe Aiumando, 25, based in Nketa 6, manipulated a woman, Pride Gamure, 27, by convincing her that her late father owed him a significant spiritual debt. The scam took place in June 2025 at Aiumando’s Dzivarasekwa shrine, where he coerced Gamure into participating in expensive cleansing rituals across multiple locations.
During a staged incident in Mhondoro involving an accomplice named Leonard, the fraudsters pretended a vehicle had malfunctioned and claimed Leonard received a “divine revelation” from the Holy Spirit. They insisted Gamure’s deceased father owed a $6,000 debt, pressuring her to pay to prevent catastrophic consequences for her family.
Under duress, Gamure paid $2,800 before realizing she had been tricked. Magistrate Archie Wochiwunga of the Western Communal Court sentenced Aiumando to 440 hours of community service at Nkulumane High School and ordered him to repay $1,155 to the victim through court-monitored payments. Authorities recovered $1,645 of the stolen funds during the investigation.
In court, Aiumando confessed that the entire spiritual prophecy was a fabricated scheme for financial gain.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli