Norton motorist loses car to robbers, passenger raped

Prosper Dembedza Herald Reporter
A 33-YEAR-OLD Norton motorist was robbed of his car, cash and mobile phone by three men who went on to rape a female passenger he had offered a lift on Saturday.
Mashonaland West provincial police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara said the stolen property was valued at US$3 288.
Insp Mabgweazara said the three were still at large and nothing had been recovered.

It is understood that on Saturday at around 6pm, Tatenda Sumburera was driving his Nissan March towards Norton.
On approaching Mukwa Road, Sumburera offered a lift to a woman who was going to Katanga in Norton.

As he approached a local supermarket, an as yet unidentified man accosted him saying his wife was getting into labour and needed help to get her to a hospital.

Sumburera agreed to take the man’s wife to hospital.
On approaching Poart Road, the man told Sumburera to stop the car, pretending they had reached the house where his “wife” was.
However, the man attacked the passenger with an unknown object as two other men emerged from the bush and forced Sumburera into the back seat of the car.

One of the robbers went behind the wheel and drove along the Harare-Bulawayo Road for about 2km towards the capital city. He stopped the car and took Sumburera’s mobile phone and US$8. They also took the female passenger’s mobile phone.

The three robbers then tied Sumburera’s hands and legs using his shirt before dumping him by the roadside.
They made a U-turn and drove towards Bulawayo and stopped the car. One of the robbers tied the woman’s hands and raped her once.
After they had dumped her, she found Sumburera where he had been left and the two made a police report.