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Emily Mbewe and Shamiso Dzingire Court Reporters
A SERIAL rapist and robber would hold a knife to his victims’ throats and ask them to choose between death or rape, a court heard. In a 12-month reign of terror, Thulani Dube, 30, of Njube, Bulawayo allegedly raped three women and robbed six others. His crime spree ended on June 1 when he was apprehended by a group of men who saw him robbing a woman at a bushy area in Richmond.
Dube was not asked to plead to three counts of rape and six counts of robbery when he briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya who remanded him in custody to June 19 before advising him to apply for bail at the High Court.
Prosecuting, Dumisani Ndlovu told the court that on March 13 last year, Dube met a 22-year-old woman who was looking for employment as a housemaid along Lobengula Street and told her he knew someone who wanted a housemaid and a shop assistant.
“They walked through Egodini (Basch Street Terminus) and passed through Makokoba and proceeded to Trenance where they followed a footpath. He produced a knife robbed the woman of her cellphone and $20,” said Ndlovu.
Dube asked the woman to choose between being raped or being killed, but when the woman did not respond. He forcibly removed the woman’s clothes and raped her.
On June 4, 2014 at around 5PM, Dube, working with an unidentified woman who is still at large, lied to a woman that his mother wanted a maid.
The victim accompanied Dube and the woman to Trenance suburb, where they said his mother resided.
“When they approached Northlea High School, the unidentified woman said she wanted to collect her younger sister from the school and advised the victim to proceed with Dube,” Ndlovu told the court.
When they reached a bushy area, Dube produced a knife, demanded cash, searched the complainant and stole two cellphones and $15.
The court heard Dube ordered the victim to remove her jeans before raping her once.
The victim returned to the city centre and informed her aunt who assisted her to make a report at Bulawayo Central Police Station.
“On June 7 the same year at around 9AM Dube met another victim who was walking in a bushy area along Falls Road. He grabbed her by the hand from behind before asking her to choose between being raped or having her throat slit. In fear, the victim chose to be raped,” said Ndlovu.
He added that Dube dragged the woman from the footpath into the bush where he robbed her of a Nokia C1 phone before raping her. The woman reported the matter at Barbourfields Police Post.
Ndlovu told the court that on December 3 last year, Dube, who pretended to be on his way to Lupane, approached Senzelweyinkosi Mhlanga, who was going to Lupane. The court heard that he pretended to have left his car at United College of Education (UCE) and the two walked along Falls Road.
“When they approached UCE, the accused produced a knife and demanded Mhlanga’s property. Mhlanga handed over her bag with $100, R1,500 and property worth $90. Nothing was recovered,” Ndlovu told the court.
In April this year, Dube who pretended to be a conductor of a mini bus ready for departure, also approached Sithulile Dube of Pumula South at Amakhosi Cultural Square where the she was looking for transport to Victoria Falls.
They boarded a black Honda Fit heading to where Dube claimed to have parked the minibus.
They dropped off at Shonga Lodge turnoff where the accused produced a knife and forcibly took two cellphones and $404. The property stolen was valued at $759 and nothing was recovered.
Dube was however apprehended on June 1 this year, when he led Morchratis Mlala of Emganwini Suburb to Richmond under the pretext that his boss wanted two female workers.
The two boarded a kombi and disembarked at Mpilo hospital terminus and proceeded into a bushy area towards Richmond.
“Dube realised that there were men approaching them and he grabbed Mlala’s bag and fled towards Richmond. The men ran after him and managed to apprehend him and take him to the police,” said the prosecutor.
Online Reporter