Bulilima rape trauma

Fear grips community as primary school kids rape increases

Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
FEAR has gripped the Bulilima community as cases of primary school children who are being raped while on their way to and from school increase.

Recently two Grade One pupils from Kandana Primary School were raped while on their way from school, the latest in a series of sexual assaults on school pupils in the area. The route used by the children is through a bushy area and is the only one which all children from the area use. Their assailant tied their boy classmate to a tree to stop him from escaping while he committed the crime.

The grandmother of one of the victims said her granddaughter only resumed school last week after an absence of a month.

“My grandchild spent the whole month without going to school because she was terrified,” she said.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off her because she was in a terrible state following the incident. She was having terrible nightmares and she would wake up at night screaming and crying. She still wakes up at night crying but it’s not as bad as it was before. The thought of that incident still brings tears to my eyes even today.”

She said she had to force her grandchild to return to school after realising that she was losing out on lessons. She said the girl was refusing to go to school out of fear of being attacked again.

“My grandchild was refusing following rape incidents which left a number of parents and children terrified,” she said.

A grandmother of the other Grade 1 pupil who was assaulted in the incident said her granddaughter was so traumatised that her mother took her to South Africa.

She said her grandson remained behind but the experience had left him traumatised.

“My grandson had to watch the whole incident while his sister and friend were being raped. The assailant tied his feet and hand with shoe laces so that he would not escape and forced him to sit and wait.

“These children went through a terrible ordeal and to make matters worse this criminal was holding a knife. My daughter realised that she could not leave my granddaughter within the same environment and took her to South Africa,” she said.

Local traditional leader, Chief Kandana, said the increase in rape cases in his area were part of the reasons why parents were withdrawing their children from school. He said the sexual assault on the two children had left people shaken.

“Children are now facing difficulties when going to school because of fear of being attacked. To make matters worse they have to use that same route everyday because that is the only nearest path to school.

“This person who raped the children is a stranger to us as he arrived from a neighbouring village looking for employment and found a job at a homestead within our area,” said Chief Kandana.

He said rape cases were on the increase and most victims were primary school pupils.

Dumisani Moyo, 33, of Mbila area appeared in court facing charges of raping the two girls both aged six years on January 23.

He allegedly force-marched the juveniles into a bushy area and went on to tie the boy to stop him from escaping and then raped the two girls twice each. The boy watched and screamed for help.

The two girls rushed to a nearby homestead where they alerted villagers who untied the boy.