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A 92-YEAR-OLD GRANNY, her frail body bearing scars of a brutal assault, delivered a heart-wrenching statement in court about her ordeal.
Her voice, trembling with anger and pain, echoed through the room as she described the horrific attack she endured at the hands of a 23-year-old man.
“My body is in pain because of what he did. He throttled me and, as a result, my throat and neck are painful. I am now having difficulties swallowing,” she lamented tearfully.
“I am hurt. If allowed, I would have struck him with my walking stick now. May he rot in prison! I looked after his father, yet he never behaved in the manner the accused did,” she continued, her voice filled with emotion.
The granny, whose name is being withheld for legal reasons, delivered an emotional plea to have Meluleki Ngwenya, from Mathe Line in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province, jailed as punishment.
Ngwenya raped the 92-yeal-old for six hours, leaving her nearly unconscious.
After the sickening abuse, which reportedly occurred from 10pm to 4am the following day, the rapist escaped, leaving behind his underwear.
The granny had pleaded with him to stop abusing her due to exhaustion.
The emotional plea by the nonagenarian was made when Ngwenya appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Sekai Benhilda Chiwundura on rape charges.
He pleaded guilty to the offence and was remanded in custody for sentencing.
Ngwenya shocked the court when he, in mitigation, claimed he had no intention of harming the victim.
“It happened unexpectedly, and I have no valid reason for raping the complainant. I actually found the complainant in bed and raped her,” said Ngwenya.
Ngwenya pleaded with the court for a lenient sentence, stating that he has a child who needs to be cared for.
Representing the State, prosecutor Ethro Mada said the offence was committed in aggravating circumstances as there was a 63-year age difference between the accused and the complainant.
“Even though the accused admitted to the offence, thereby shortening the proceedings, the aggravating factors of this case far outweigh the mitigating circumstances,” argued Mada.
The court heard that on August 5, 2024, around 10pm, the complainant was sleeping inside her kitchen hut when the accused person came and gained entry through an unlocked door.
The complainant tried to light a candle, but the accused person took it and threw it away.
It was also heard that the accused person grabbed the complainant, tripped her to the floor and lifted her to the bed.
The accused person proceeded to rape the complainant several times.
He only stopped the abuse after the granny’s numerous pleas.
The accused left around 4am.
The granny then reported the matter to her sister, who then accompanied her to the police.
Investigations by the police led to Ngwenya’s arrest. — B-Metro
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Jilted Hwange man threatens to kill ‘father-in-law’
A 34-year-old man from Gamba village in Hwange, Matabeleland North province, has been fined US$150 after threatening to kill a fellow villager who refused to marry off his daughter to him.
The man, identified as Irvine Shoko, was hauled before the Hwange Magistrates’ Court on charges of issuing death threats and possessing illegal weapons.
He was ordered to pay the fine or face three months in prison.
In addition, the court slapped him with a three-month suspended sentence.
Should Shoko commit a similar offence within five years, the sentence will come into force.
The court heard that on the night of June 6, around 10pm, Shoko went to Possent Nyathi’s homestead, where he asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
However, Nyathi informed him that his daughter was already married to someone else.
This incensed Shoko, who threatened to kill Nyathi.
Nyathi duly reported the matter to the police.
When Shoko was arrested, he had an Okapi knife in his possession, which is classified as a prohibited weapon under Zimbabwean law. — Bulawayo Bureau
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Quest for bedroom prowess turns fatal
Four men from the diamond-rich Chiadzwa area died after drinking a concoction made from aloe vera.
Joseph Myambo (45), Robert Muchawaya (28), Brighton Gwenzi Chibhoso (27) and Kudakwashe Marambire (44) were pronounced dead at Chiadzwa Clinic, where their bodies had been taken.
Two other men, Munyaradzi Mutande (25) and Jacob Matambo (27), who also consumed the concoction, are currently fighting for their lives at Mutambara Mission Hospital.
Police confirmed the tragic incident, saying investigations are underway.
When we visited the area, uniformed police officers were awaiting the arrival of colleagues from the Criminal Investigations Department in Mutare.
According to police reports, Myambo, a resident of Christine Dairy in Chipinge, prepared the lethal mixture and shared it with his colleagues.
The concoction was intended to enhance the men’s sexual performance and overall health.
It is believed all the six individuals were illegal diamond miners and also tenants at the Gonorenda homestead in Chiadzwa. — Manica Post
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Widow haunted by mysterious forces
Pamhidzai Tapfumaneyi, a 53-year-old widow from Budiriro in Harare, is pleading for help after claiming to be the victim of a series of unsettling events.
These events, she says, began in 2019, a year of immense personal tragedy for her, as four of her children passed away in mysterious circumstances.
“I experienced the tragedy of losing four children and I went to this other Apostolic church because I heard they could assist. It was after visiting this church that they made me join Satanism,” explained the woman, who is originally from Chief Musana’s area in Bindura.
She said her decision to join the church in the hope of finding comfort and healing has become a nightmare.
Her husband, a truck driver, passed away in 2015.
While the church was initially a source of comfort and solace, things, however, later took a dark turn.
In 2019, she started hearing a voice whispering into her ear.
At first, she thought she was hallucinating, but the voice persisted.
“The voice says things like, ‘I want to have sex with you,’ and if I refuse, it adds, ‘then have sex with your son,’” she recounts.
All this added horror to her already distressing situation.
Tapfumaneyi also claims to be the victim of sexual assaults by invisible beings.
“It happens whenever I am alone, even in a commuter omnibus or while walking. In the kombis, I almost scream, but people do not understand what is happening. Most people do not understand me,” she explains.
She also describes terrifying encounters with a large snake. “The snake attacks me and coils around my waist. I see it in my dreams and sometimes my house had a strong smell of human faeces, though I see nothing. I feel my genitals being licked by something invisible, just as I hear the voice,” she narrates.
All these strange happenings are creating a nightmarish experience for the already grieving woman. The relentless attacks leave her exhausted, emotionally drained, violated and helpless.
Tapfumaneyi vehemently denies she might be having mental health issues.
“My own sister suggests I go to the hospital for a medical check-up, but I refuse because I do not want to be treated for an illness I do not have,” she says.
She is convinced her experiences are real.
Her neighbours are also convinced that she appears mentally stable and interacts normally with others. For now, she remains alone in her struggle, desperately seeking help and understanding. — Wires
Online Reporter