Self-styled bishop, Nundwe, faces court over alleged sexual assault disguised as prayer

In a courtroom filled with tense anticipation, John Nundwe, known among his congregants as Bishop John General, sat in silence as a woman recounted a harrowing ordeal—an alleged violation committed under the guise of divine intervention.

Testifying before the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court, the woman said she had expected prayers on November 24, 2023, but instead endured a horrific experience.

The self-proclaimed clergyman, who leads Miracle Impact Ministries International in Matero Township, allegedly exploited her desperate desire to conceive.

According to her testimony, Nundwe visited her home that day while her husband was away. Moments later, she found him naked on the edge of a bed.

She first encountered Bishop John General in 2022 after watching testimonies on a Christian TV channel. Women who had struggled with infertility shared stories of miraculous conceptions after using his anointing oils.

Desperate for a child, she sought his help, paying K1,000 for a private session and another K1,500 for “anointed” oils and water meant to cleanse her body and home.

Despite strictly following his instructions—drinking the oil three times a day, sprinkling it around the house, even mopping her floors with it—she failed to conceive.

Nundwe kept in touch, regularly calling to check if she had fallen pregnant. When she told him the oils had not worked, he assured her the problem lay within her home and insisted on conducting prayers there.

When he arrived, accompanied by an unidentified man, her husband was out. He inspected the rooms before calling her into one. There, she found him naked.

Shocked and terrified, she tried to flee, but his accomplice allegedly shoved her inside and locked the door. She testified that Nundwe overpowered her, removing her clothing and forcing himself on her while dismissing her protests.

“He told me that I, too, would one day give a testimony like other church members,” she said.

She further alleged that Nundwe insisted she wear a chitenge he had brought in his car and that he needed to collect her urine for prayer.

The act was interrupted when her husband unexpectedly returned home. Upon hearing his voice, Nundwe panicked, jumping off the bed and calling for his accomplice to bring a gun.

Paralyzed with fear, she watched as her husband stormed into the room, demanding answers.

That same evening, the couple reported the incident to police, and she was taken for a medical examination.

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