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Codelia Mondela, Court Reporter
A MAID from Bulawayo allegedly stole her employer’s pistol, buried it in a garden and claimed that he had threatened to shoot her with it.
The girl (17), whose name has been withheld to protect her identity, allegedly stole the fire arm valued at $300 from Mr Bolden Mathuthu (56) last month while he was away.
She claimed that she took the gun because her employer raped her and threatened to shoot her with it if she told anyone.
The maid allegedly later gave the firearm to her boyfriend, Macreed Mafundu (26), for safe keeping.
The two pleaded not guilty to theft charges Bulawayo magistrate Mr Franklin Mkhwananzi who remanded them in custody to today.
In a statement to the police, the girl said her employer threatened to shoot her after she turned down his love proposal.
“After I turned down his proposal in February this year, he threatened to shoot me if I reported the matter to my grandmother. I found the firearm under his pillow and buried it in the garden,” she said.
“On March 31, he started caressing me and took me to his bedroom where he raped me.
“Last Wednesday, after he had gone to Binga, I dug up the firearm and gave it to my boyfriend.”
Prosecuting, Mr Mclean Ndlovu said the girl allegedly connived with her boyfriend and stole the pistol on March 16.
He said Mr Mathuthu left his pistol worth $300 which was loaded with six rounds of ammunition on his bed under a pillow.
“During his absence, the girl stole the complainant’s firearm and later gave it to Mafundu for safe keeping.
“The complainant discovered the offence as soon as he returned and reported the matter to the police,” Mr Ndlovu said.
It was not revealed in court how the maid was caught.
@MondelaC
derick.khumalo