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00:00 A sect leader and self-styled prophet appeared in a Zimbabwe court on Thursday, charged with
00:07 child abuse after police raided his farm and rescued 251 children.
00:13 Police said the children, quote, "were subjected to abuse as cheap labor, doing manual work
00:17 in the name of being taught life skills."
00:20 Police found the children on the farm were not attending school, and most did not have
00:23 birth certificates.
00:25 They also found 16 graves, including seven for infants, all of which were unregistered,
00:31 police said.
00:33 Fifty-six-year-old Ishmael Chogoronghe was arrested this week, along with seven of his
00:37 church members following a raid on their farm about 18 miles west of the capital, Harare.
00:43 State media outlet H-Metro said that Chogoronghe and his accomplices had been remanded in custody
00:50 for a bail ruling and are facing two counts of violating the Burial and Cremation Act
00:55 and the Children's Act.
00:57 No pleas were taken.
01:01 One of the church leaders told H-Metro they do not seek out medical treatment.
01:06 "If anyone here falls ill, we leave their healing to God, because He has His own ways
01:12 and means to heal the sick," he said.
01:18 Video from the raid showed dozens of women and children dressed in white sitting under
01:22 a tree and singing.
01:26 Some were later taken away in buses, escorted by police.
01:30 Zimbabwe is a majority Christian country where apostolic sects are common.
01:34 Chogoronghe was identified by police as a leader in the so-called White Garment Church.
01:40 Its followers have previously been accused of abuse of women and children and are known
01:44 for practicing child marriages.
01:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]