Makokoba residents leaving in fear of being mugged and raped

Bulawayo - Makokoba residents are living in fear of being mugged and raped following reports of a gang of thugs that is allegedly ambushing people at night.

Witnesses allege that several people have been attacked while walking in the suburb at night.

The muggers allegedly pounce on their target and either hit them or threaten them with knives before robbing them.

In the early hours of Wednesday last week, an 18-year-old woman was allegedly raped by two men when she was going home with her boyfriend.

The woman and her boyfriend (names withheld) were walking across Gertrude Park in the suburb on their way home when two men who were sitting in the park approached them and started assaulting them upon which they raped the woman.

Maxwell Phiri (27), of 56985/2 Old Lobengula was brought before the courts yesterday to answer to a charge of rape.

He allegedly committed the offence in connivance with an unnamed man who is still at large.
Phiri was not asked to plead when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Shepherd Mjanja and was remanded in custody to tomorrow.

For the State Mr Masimba Saruwaka told the court that on Wednesday last week, the woman and her boyfriend were walking across the park at about 4am.

They allegedly saw two men sitting under a tree, who then approached them and produced a knife.

The court heard that Phiri, who was  wielding a knife charged at the boyfriend while his alleged accomplice grabbed the woman by the collar.

The boyfriend reportedly fled from the scene while Phiri allegedly chased after him.

After chasing the boyfriend, Phiri returned to where he had left his alleged accomplice and the woman and allegedly hit her with a fist once on the mouth and she fell down.

That is when Phiri allegedly raped her in full view of his alleged accomplice.

The court heard that the two suspects fled from the scene leaving the woman lying down when they saw somebody walking across the park towards them.

The woman's boyfriend then returned to the scene and accompanied her to make a report to the police.

Phiri was arrested after the woman's boyfriend told the police that he knew him by his other name "Eddie" and that he sometimes stays at Vundu Hostel .

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