Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu
A 25-YEAR-OLD man from Esigodini allegedly ambushed and raped a 45-year-old woman from his village.
Samuel Nyoni of Thuthukani Village appeared before Gwanda regional magistrate Sithembiso Ndebele facing a rape charge. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to 6 November for trial.
Prosecutor Karen Gundani told the court that on 20 August, Nyoni used a simple axe as bait to gain access to the woman’s home.
“At around 2PM, the accused person went to the complainant’s home looking for her husband, saying he wanted to borrow an axe,” said Gundani. “The complainant told him her husband was away and handed over the axe.”
Later that night, around 8PM, Nyoni returned—pretending to return the borrowed axe—but with a sinister plan in mind.
“He knocked on the door and asked the complainant to open, saying he wanted to return the axe. When she refused to let him in, he pushed the door open and stormed into her bedroom hut,” said Gundani.
Nyoni proposed love and demanded sex. When the woman refused, he allegedly threatened to strike her with the axe if she screamed.
“He grabbed her, threw her on the bed, and raped her. Afterwards, he threatened to kill her if she told anyone,” said the prosecutor.
In a shocking twist, the accused reportedly lay down on the bed after the act and ordered the terrified woman to lie beside him, declaring that they would spend the night together.
But when Nyoni drifted into sleep, the complainant seized her chance, fleeing into the darkness to a nearby homestead where she sought help.
Police were called and Nyoni was arrested soon after.
In his defence, Nyoni denied everything, claiming he never visited the woman’s home and that she fabricated the story because of bad blood between them.
— @DubeMatutu
