Zimbabwe police have arrested a self-proclaimed prophet and saved the lives of 250 children who were members of his cult.
Police said Ishmael Chokurongerwa, 56, led a sect with more than 1,000 members at a farm about 21 miles north-west of Harare, Zimbabwe.
Children were living alongside other ‘believers’ while ‘being used to perform various physical activities for the benefit of the sect’s leadership’, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said.
Of the 251 children, 246 had no birth certificates
Mr Nyathi said: ‘Police established that all children of school-going age did not attend formal education and were subjected to abuse as cheap labor, doing manual work in the name of being taught life skills.
‘They were being used to perform various physical activities for the benefit of the sect’s leadership.
‘Police established that all children of school-going age did not attend formal education and were subjected to abuse as cheap labor, doing manual work in the name of being taught life skills.
