Online Reporter
Temba Dube in BULAWAYO
A 28-YEAR-OLD man, who allegedly raped his nieces and sodomised his younger brother over a period of THREE years, ten years ago, was arrested in Chitungwiza last night.
The suspect, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victims, was arrested in a coordinated police raid at his home just after midnight.
He allegedly raped two cousins, then aged seven and eight, and sodomised his brother, who was about six years-old at the time, at their home in Chitungwiza.
The issue came to light when the older girl, now aged 18, had a meltdown in the UK, where she is now based, and told her mother about the abuse.
Talking to B-Metro, the younger girl said they had told their aunt that their uncle was sexually abusing them but she kept the issue secret.
Relatives in the UK got riled by the revelations and tried to get relatives in Zimbabwe to deal with it, without success.
They went onto a social media group of Zimbabwean women in the Diaspora seeking assistance and they were referred to a Bulawayo businesswoman, who is the curator of Mental Voices Trust and Miss Rural Pageant organiser, Sipho Mazibuko.
Mazibuko took the issue up and reported the case at Chitungwiza Police Station under RRB Number 6964087.
She got in touch with the other girl, who is still in Zimbabwe, and the child corroborated her cousin’s story.
The suspect could not be located.
They then set a trap for him but a relative is said to have tipped him off and he went into hiding.
Police finally tracked him down at his father’s house in Chitungwiza and effected a dramatic arrest.
The girl, who is still in Zimbabwe, opened up to B-Metro about the abuse.
“He would take the three of us to his bedroom and abuse us. It was horrible. He hurt us badly. “It was very painful. We would scream, but he would not stop,” she said.
The girl said her uncle would allegedly abuse each child while the others watched and then sodomise his younger brother.
“I am very grateful to Sipho Mazibuko for taking this issue up. It has been eating me and slowly destroying me over the years.
“We told our aunt at the time that our uncle was hurting us and she said she would inform our grandmother. She never did. We had lost hope that we would ever get assistance,” she said.
The girl said the suspected monster was even laughing when he was arrested:
“He was laughing. He kept asking me if I was sure about what we were doing.
“This man stole my childhood. I hope he rots in jail,” she said. Mazibuko said she arrived in Chitungwiza with Miss Rural Lupane Christine Mlalazi, ready for war.
“At first, we got his number and found out that he sells LP Gas. We called him pretending to be bulk buyers and set up a meeting,” she said.
However, with police waiting within the vicinity, the suspect did not show up.
“We suspect that a relative had tipped him off,” said Mazibuko.
After further investigations, Mazibuko was able to establish where the suspect was hiding and police raided the house around midnight.
She said the suspect’s father was very cooperative. “He looked deflated and said the police should take him if he had committed the unspeakable acts.“I want to use all my resources to not only protect victims of abuse but to also establish safe shelters for them so that they can be rehabilitated and have a life after court cases are concluded,” said Mazibuko.
Mlalazi said she was inspired to be part of the team that brought the suspect to book.
“We arrived at the suspect’s home and he refused to open the door.
“Police were about to break it down when he finally opened. He was immediately arrested. This a great statement for the protection of children and women’s rights, as advocated for by the Miss Rural pageant. I’m happy to have been part of it,” she said.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi could not be reached for comment.
