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Patience Mutsiwi, Midlands Reporter
A ZVISHAVANE woman walked into her kitchen hut and found her husband allegedly dressing up their four-year-old daughter whom he had just raped.

The alleged evil dad, 37, appeared before Gweru Regional Magistrate Morgan Nemadire facing one count of rape.

The man whose name has been withheld to protect the identity of the minor pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Asked to justify his not guilty plea in response to the allegations made by his wife, the man just kept quiet much to the amazement of the court.

The father of three was remanded in custody to April 5 for continuation of trial.

Testifying against her husband, the man’s wife said on January 3 this year, she went to fetch water and when she came back she found her husband dressing up their daughter.

“I left home around 10AM to fetch some water about 300 metres from home and l left the accused with the complainant and our two sons. When I came back I found the accused dressing the complainant and I continued with my chores,” said the woman.

“I served the complainant with some tea together with her two brothers and after some time the brothers left for cattle herding.”

She said she later discovered that her daughter was having difficulties in urinating and took her to the hospital.

“The nurses said my daughter had been raped and couldn’t treat her without a medical report. My two children later told me that they witnessed their father removing my daughter’s clothes before raping her. I then went and reported the matter to the police,” she said.

Prosecuting Kelvin Guveya told the court that on January 3, the complainant left her children with their father.

The court heard that later on the minor screamed while she was urinating and her mother asked her what was wrong, but she didn’t disclose anything.

The court heard that the girl’s mother examined her and noticed some male discharge and blood.  She took the complainant to the clinic but nurses refused to attend to her without a police report.

“During the day, the two brothers came back home and the mother asked them what had happened when she left to fetch some water in the morning, and the boys told her that they saw their father undressing the complainant and raping her,” said Guveya.