A TSHOLOTSHO man allegedly raped a Plumtree woman who was herding goats and left her for dead after he also struck her with an axe.
A Bulawayo magistrate heard that Lighton Ngwenya (25) approached the woman in a bushy area in Madlambudzi and proposed love but was turned down.
He allegedly then raped the woman and axed her once at the back of her head, leaving her unconscious.
Ngwenya pleaded not guilty to rape and attempted murder charges when he appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza.
“I know nothing about this matter Your Worship. I have never met this woman before. My first time to see her was when I met her through the police. I don’t know what she’s talking about,” he said.
Mr Mabeza remanded him in custody tomorrow.
The court heard that his 24 year old victim regained consciousness some minutes later and staggered home where she narrated the ordeal to her uncle.
The woman told the court that Ngwenya threatened to kill her before he raped her.
“He threatened to kill me if I refused to sleep with him. I tried to run away but the place was full of thorns so I couldn’t run. I tried to scream after the sexual attack but he struck me at the back of my head and I passed out,” she said.
Prosecuting, Mr Simbarashe Manyiwa said on August 26, at around 6PM Ngwenya’s victim was rounding up her goats to take them home when he pounced on her.
“Accused dragged victim into a bush and raped her once. He produced a small axe and struck her at the back of her head before fleeing from the scene. She was referred to Plumtree District Hospital and a medical report was acquired,” said Mr Manyiwa.
