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Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter—
A GARDENER at a Bulawayo children’s home allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl daily over an unspecified period. The alleged attacker, Nachiwale Johanes, 28, popularly known as Uncle Officer, lived at the home. He is now a student at the Bulawayo Polytechnic. The abuse allegedly came to light when the child was adopted from Isaiah’s Umuzi Wothando Children’s Home in Hillside suburb by a Bulawayo family two weeks ago.

A court heard that the girl started having nightmares where she would call out the name of her alleged attacker, prompting her foster mother to investigate. The foster mother, who cannot be named to protect the girl, allegedly opened a can of worms when the girl told her that Uncle Officer would sneak into their room and abuse her together with seven other girls at the home.

Uncle Officer has since appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya to answer rape charges. He was remanded in custody to January 14. The State alleges that the girl was raped while sleeping in a room she shared with other girls on an unknown dates last year.

“Uncle Officer would sleep in the same cottage with the girls and during the night he would sneak into the girl’s room where he would remove the complainant’s panties and rape her,” read the State outline.

“Each time he raped her, he would first fondle her buttocks and insert his fingers into her privates. The girl at one point screamed and attracted attention of their caregiver who only peeped through the window but did not investigate, the court heard. On December 5, the girl was adopted and she moved in with her foster mother.