Zimpapers Logo

Bongani Ndlovu, Online Reporter

A 48-year-old man from Bulawayo’s Tshabalala suburb, followed a 11-year-old girl, grabbed and gagged her before dragging her to a nearby bush where he raped her.

The man, Ntokozo Ngwenya, has since been arrested after raping the minor on Monday afternoon in a bushy area near Nkulumane suburb.

Bulawayo police provincial spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube urged parents to keep watch of their children.

“Police urges members of the public to always be on the lookout for people who pretend to befriend their children as they can end up being perpetrators. We are also urging members of the public not to send children alone to places with bush areas as they can end up being raped,” said Inspector Ncube.

He said the girl had accompanied her friend to collect the friend’s younger sister at a school in Nkulumane.

“Along the way from school, they met the accused person who then started following them. The accused person caught up with them at the complainant’s place of residence and he grabbed her.

“The accused person closed the complainant’s mouth with a black plastic paper and carried her to a nearby bushy area where he raped her without protection,” said Inspector Ncube.

He said after the rape, the girl returned home crying and narrated the ordeal to her mother.

“On the same day, the informant accompanied the complainant and made a police report. The accused person was arrested and the complainant was referred to Mpilo Central Hospital for medical attention,” said Inspector Ncube.- @bonganinkunzi