Online Reporter
Peter Matika, [email protected]
A TRIAL date has been set for prominent Bulawayo businesswoman and founder of the Miss Rural Zimbabwe pageant, Sipho Mazibuko, who is facing charges for allegedly attempting to stage an unsanctioned protest outside the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court.
Mazibuko and seven alleged accomplices — including Mr and Mrs Rural Zimbabwe title holders and aides — were arrested on July 24 and later remanded out of custody on bail.
She and her group appeared in court on Friday for a routine remand, where they were advised that their trial will commence on August 15, 2025. The matter was heard before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Takudzwa Gwazemba.
Upon their arrest, the group was bundled into a police van after officers intervened and warned them against proceeding with the illegal demonstration.
Mazibuko, in an emotional outburst outside the court, stated that she was demanding justice for a 16-year-old girl who was allegedly raped multiple times by her uncle.
She claimed the suspect, a cross-border truck driver, sexually abused his teenage niece under the guise of spiritually healing the girl’s ill mother.
The abuse, reportedly spanning several weeks, came to light in April after Mazibuko was tipped off by a whistle-blower from Mabheleni Village in Mbembesi, Matabeleland North.
She launched her own informal investigation, working alongside police and mobilising her networks to gather evidence.
Describing the ordeal as “horrific,” Mazibuko said she could not remain idle while the girl suffered, prompting her to take an active role in assisting law enforcement.
She said she posed as a potential client, luring the suspect into a trap by pretending to require transport services to South Africa.
Mazibuko pretended to be a wealthy businesswoman offering the suspect a better life, money, travel, and other incentives. He reportedly fell for the ruse.
She said the deception evolved 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.
Mazibuko also helped ensure the teenage survivor did not drop out of school and is now enrolled at a new institution where she is receiving support.
Both the accused and his mother have since appeared in court and were remanded in custody pending trial.
