CHIREDZI – A 67-year-old man from Chiredzi allegedly sneaked into a hut where a 12-year-old relative was sleeping together with other kids, lifted her up in the dead of the night and allegedly went and raped her on an anthill near the homestead.
Valencio Emmanuel Shumbaimwe appeared before Chiredzi Regional Magistrate Judith Zuyu facing rape charges. It is a State case that on September 4, 2016, the complainant was asleep in a hut and in the company of three other juveniles aged three, five and seven. Kaboni Makoni, the complainant’s grandfather, is said to have been drunk and asleep in another room.
The accused came to the complainant’s home and found all asleep in bed and proceeded to the complainant’s bedroom. He allegedly forcibly opened the door, entered the hut and awoke the complainant. He promised the complainant some money and asked her to follow him outside.
The accused lifted the complainant to a nearby hill. While at the hill he undressed the complainant, tripped her to the ground and allegedly raped her. He then asked the complainant to put on her clothes and escorted her back to the hut.
On September 11 the complainant’s grandmother returned from Kwekwe and the complainant informed her of the matter which was then reported to the Police leading to the accused’s arrest.