Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A 40-YEAR-OLD Nyanga man took his own life shortly after being accused of raping his 19-year-old niece and infecting her with a sexually transmitted infection.
The rape complaint was filed after the girl, a Form Four learner, confided in her teachers, prompting them to alert the authorities.
The matter had initially been handled within the family, who allegedly attempted to suppress it through private negotiations and meetings.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the incident and said Fanuel Dauda was found hanging from a tree on June 4, shortly after being informed that a police investigation into the case had been launched.
“The deceased was contacted by the police on allegations of rape. He was informed of this by his wife, Margaret Chingwanda, after police reached out. When he came home later that evening, he told his wife that he would rather die than go to jail,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
He said Dauda left home, purportedly to visit his father at a nearby village, but never arrived there.
His body was discovered the following morning, hanging from a tree near Nyarerwe River.
The police are treating the matter as a suicide linked to a criminal investigation. However, the late Dauda’s family contests the allegations, claiming he was falsely accused due to longstanding family disputes.
In an interview, James Dauda said Fanuel had been embroiled in repeated arguments with his sister, the mother of the alleged victim.
James alleged that the rape accusation was an act of revenge.
“Our sister was in constant conflict with my brother and his wife over land. She had once warned them that she would make them regret everything.
“The next day, her daughter suddenly claimed she had been raped by my brother,” he said, adding that when he received the news of the accusation, he was away at work in Stockdale and called his sister, requesting that the matter be discussed within the family before involving the police.
“We then convened a family meeting. That is when our niece claimed that she had contracted an STI from my brother and insisted on being taken to the clinic. My brother denied everything. He said she had sugar daddies and mentioned a few men who drive fancy cars and used to visit her homestead. He claimed that he had warned our niece about the sugar daddies the previous day and that coupled with the land misunderstandings they were having with our sister, resulted in the revenge accusations,” he said.
James said Fanuel even offered to sell some of his household furniture to raise money for their niece’s medical expenses.
“He was willing to help her get treatment, despite maintaining his innocence. We agreed as a family to take her to a doctor and resolve the matter amicably.
“However, days later, the police began searching for him.
“That was when we realised that the school authorities had reported the matter to the police after our niece was questioned by her teachers,” he added.
James said the family strongly suspects that the rape allegations were fabricated as part of a wider plot to destroy the late Fanuel’s reputation and destabilise his household.
“Everyone was aware of the tension. Our sister had made it clear that she wanted them off the land, while they also wanted her gone. This entire situation, the timing of it, everything, seems staged. Unfortunately, he is now deceased and we might never be able to clear his name,” said the grieving man.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the girl’s mother were unsuccessful, as it was said she does not possess a phone.
Mutasa Rural District Council Ward 22 representative, Councillor Benia Maambira, described the incident as deeply troubling.
“I do not have full details about the case, but it is a sad story. From what I have heard, the man was accused of raping his niece and infected her with an STI.
It is painful that it ended in suicide before the truth came out,” said Councillor Maambira.
Community members in Mutimutema Village remain divided, with some saying the suicide was an admission of guilty, while others believed Fanuel was pushed to the edge by the false allegations and humiliation.
“It is difficult to judge. He is dead now, and the girl is still alive. It is one person’s word against another’s, and unfortunately, Fanuel, who could have responded to the allegations, is no longer here.
“However, it is common knowledge that he did not have an amicable relationship with either his sister or niece,” said Chido Muchere, a neighbour.
