Zimpapers Logo

Codelia Mondela, Court Reporter
A 35-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo allegedly raped his 18-year-old tenant in his living room and later mocked her by asking if the rape had killed her.

The man from Njube suburb had entered the tenant’s room soon after she had finished taking a bath and inquired about her aunt’s whereabouts.

A court heard that he allegedly grabbed the woman’s hand and dragged her into his living room where he pushed her onto the floor and allegedly raped her using protection.

The man on Friday pleaded not guilty to rape before Bulawayo magistrate Mrs Sibongile-Msipa Marondedze.

He was remanded out of custody to January 8.

In his defence outline, the man denied raping the woman.

He said: “On the day in question, I was at a school where I was a Vice SDC chairman and I only came home around lunch hour.”

Prosecuting, Mr Tinashe Dzipe alleged that the man raped the woman on September 28 at around 10AM after she had finished bathing and was preparing to go to school.

“The man entered the room and asked the complainant where her aunt had gone to. He grabbed the woman by her hand and dragged her to his sitting room where he raped her,” he said.

Mr Dzipe said the accused’s three year-old daughter walked in on them and he  ordered her to go and play outside.

He said before he raped the complainant, the accused left the room and told the complainant that he was going to lock the gate.

The court heard that he came back, proceeded to his bedroom and put on a condom. He approached the complainant, pushed her onto the carpet and allegedly raped her once.

Mr Dzipe said: “After the rape he sneered at the complainant asking if the act had killed her before giving her back her panties he had put in his pocket. He went out and came back after a few minutes asking for tissue paper from the complainant.”

The court heard that the matter came to light after the woman’s aunt came across messages that the complainant had sent to her boyfriend telling him about the rape.

@MondelaC