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Lesley Chikudo, [email protected]

A 44-year-old Bulawayo man has appeared in court, charged with rape and indecent assault, after allegedly attacking his 14-year-old niece and indecently assaulting her 12-year-old sister.

The man, from Pumula North suburb, whose name is being withheld to protect the victims, appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Ms Skhethile Moyo, on Saturday. He was remanded in custody until February 4.

According to the prosecution’s case, presented by Ms Catherine Kuzu, the first incident occurred in November 2024 at around 1pm. The accused, taking advantage of the absence of the complainants’ grandmother, allegedly dragged the 14-year-old girl into his bedroom.

“He pushed her onto the bed and told her to lie face up,” Ms Kuzu told the court.
“He then pulled a knife from his pocket and threatened to stab and kill her if she made a noise or resisted his advances. He then lifted her dress, forcibly removed her underwear, and raped her.”

Ms Kuzu stated that the accused forcibly had unprotected sex with the complainant once and then threatened to stab her if she told anyone.

On another occasion, the court heard, the accused again took advantage of the grandmother’s absence and followed the 12-year-old girl into her bedroom. He then allegedly touched her buttocks several times without her consent.
“The complainant screamed, but the accused threatened her with unspecified consequences if she told anyone what had happened,” Ms Kuzu explained.

“Since then, the accused has regularly touched the complainant’s buttocks whenever he wanted, as her grandmother was away at her rural home in Zvishavane.”

The court was told that in January 2025, the victims’ aunt, who was in South Africa, returned and spoke to the girls about their daily lives, particularly their interactions with the accused. The complainants then disclosed the assaults, leading to the man’s arrest.