adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A Grade five pupil from Kweneng Primary School in Mangwe District was allegedly raped six times by two men, a traditional healer and her uncle. The 11-year-old girl from Mphoengs was attacked by the two men within a space of two months.
The traditional healer, Simon Sibanda, 30, from Mphoengs area and the girl’s uncle, Promise Ndlovu, 18, appeared before Plumtree magistrate, Gideon Ruvetsa, on initial remand facing three counts of rape each.
Sibanda allegedly raped the girl in August on three separate occasions and gave her R50 to remain quiet about the issue.
Ndlovu is said to have raped the girl during the month of September and gave her R5 to buy her silence.
The court heard that on August 12, Sibanda called the juvenile to his homestead and asked her to run an errand for him.
He then forced the girl to have sexual intercourse with him after telling her that sex would make her intelligent in school.
Sibanda allegedly called her to his homestead again on August 21 and August 29 and raped her on both occasions. The court heard that he lured her by telling her he wanted to pass the gift of intelligence to her.
Prosecuting, Elisha Mazorodze said the traditional leader gave the girl a R50 note and ordered her to remain quiet.
The court heard that the accused also promised to give the girl more money if she did not report him.
“On a date unknown but during the month on September the complainant’s uncle accompanied her to fetch green mealies from a garden and started soliciting sex from the complainant along the way but she refused. He then grabbed her and raped her once before giving her R5 as a gift,” said Mazorodze.
He said on another date, Ndlovu found the complainant alone in the kitchen and raped her. On the third incident, the accused person entered the complainant’s bedroom hut while she was sleeping alone and raped her.
The complainant resisted but the accused person reminded her that he had given her R5 as a gift which allowed him to have sexual intercourse with her several times.
Mazorodze said the two men’s crime came to light on October 29 after the juvenile started complaining of stomach pains.
Her sister questioned her until she revealed that she was raped on six occasions by the traditional leader and her uncle.
The matter was reported to the police resulting in the arrest of the two.
Online Reporter