Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve
A 46-YEAR-OLD man has sent shivers down the spines of Victoria Falls residents after he was nabbed for allegedly kidnapping a nine-year-old boy and sodomising him with chilling brutality.
Joram Ndlovu (46), from Betty homestead under Chief Mvutu in Monde, Victoria Falls, appeared in court on Monday facing one count of kidnapping and two counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Shockingly, after subjecting the minor to a night of pure horror, Ndlovu allegedly tried to silence the traumatised boy with pathetic bribes: a toy cellphone, two watches, and a black purse.
Victoria Falls Resident Magistrate Gift Manyika remanded Ndlovu to June 16.
Representing the state, Ms. Audrey Mukanganya told the court that on May 30, 2025, in Mkhosana, Victoria Falls, Ndlovu unlawfully grabbed the nine-year-old boy (name withheld) and forced him to follow him to an undeveloped stand in Aerodrome suburb.
She revealed that Ndlovu held the boy captive from May 30 to May 31, 2025.
“On May 30, 2025, around 4 PM, Ndlovu approached the boy outside his home, forcibly held his right hand, and dragged him to an undeveloped stand on Reynard Road, Victoria Falls, characterized by tall trees and grass,” Ms. Mukanganya said.
The court heard that around 7:30 PM, the boy’s father discovered his son was missing and reported it to the police. A search party was launched but the boy could not be found. The following morning, locals and police continued the search.
On May 31, around 9 AM, CID detectives in Victoria Falls received a tip-off that Ndlovu was seen walking with the boy near the Aerodrome area. Detectives rushed to the location and found Ndlovu with the boy, leading to his immediate arrest.
On the second count, Ms. Mukanganya told the court that on May 30, 2025, at around 8 PM at the Aerodrome stand, Ndlovu stripped the boy’s pants, made him lie face down, and forcibly sodomised him three times without protection.
“After the monstrous act, Ndlovu gave the boy a toy cellphone, two watches, and a black purse to silence him. The two then spent the entire night in the bush. The horrific details only emerged after Ndlovu’s apprehension,” she said.
Regarding the third count, Ms. Mukanganya said on May 31, in the early morning around 5 AM, at the same Aerodrome stand, Ndlovu again forced the boy to lie face down, removed his pants, and forcibly sodomised him once without protection. Afterward, he once more offered the boy the toy cellphone, two watches, and a black purse in an attempt to buy his silence.
She added that the full extent of the ordeal came to light after Ndlovu was arrested for kidnapping, and the boy bravely recounted what happened.
The court heard that the boy was medically examined at Victoria Falls Hospital, where doctors confirmed he sustained injuries consistent with sexual abuse.
