Online Reporter
Peter Matika, Senior Court Reporter
BULAWAYO businesswoman, Sipho Mazibuko, may find herself embroiled in a tangled web of more legal troubles as fresh accusations have surfaced following a recent court appearance.
This time, she is accused of verbally abusing a woman who was accused of aiding her son to rape her unde-rage niece a few months ago.
According to the woman, Ms Ethel Kelly, through her lawyer Ms Constance Mathaba of Makiya and Partners, Mazibuko allegedly insulted her during the course of the trial, where she had been remanded in custody before being freed on bail.
“My client alleged that she was insulted as she walked into the court building the day of the demo and the police recorded a statement from her,” she said.
Ms Mathaba said the statements were recorded and have been presented in court.
The matter, which has captured public attention will be heard concurrently with the illegal demonstration case, where a judgment is expected to be passed soon.
Mazibuko is accused of trying to interfere with legal proceedings in the rape case.
The drama unfolded when Mazibuko was arrested for alleged disorderly conduct after allegedly attempting to stage an unsanctioned protest outside the Bulawayo magistrates’ court.
Mazibuko, along with Mr and Miss Rural Zimbabwe title holders and her aides, were picked up by police outside the Tredgold Building, where they had gathered.
Mazibuko said she was demanding justice for a 16-year-old girl allegedly raped multiple times by her uncle.
According to Mazibuko, the man, who is a cross-border truck driver, sexually abused his teenage niece under the guise of spiritually healing the girl’s sick mother.
The abuse, allegedly spanning several weeks, came to light in April after Mazibuko was tipped off by a whistleblower from Mabheleni Village in Mbembesi, Matabeleland North.
She launched her own informal investigations, working with police and mobilising her personal networks to gather evidence. Describing the ordeal as “horrific”, Mazibuko said she could not sit idle while the girl suffered.
Mazibuko took an active role in assisting law enforcement. She said she posed as a potential client, luring the suspect into a trap by pretending to need transport services to South Africa.
She pretended to be a wealthy businesswoman offering him a better life, money, travel, everything. He fell for it.
Mazibuko said the ruse developed into a fake romantic relationship, during which the suspect sent her explicit messages that later formed part of the evidence used to secure his arrest.
