Man up for raping church mate

A MEMBER of an unnamed Pentecostal church in Bulawayo yesterday appeared before a Bulawayo court charged with raping a married female church mate who had visited him at his home.

Hudson Mazonde (33) of Bradfield in Bulawayo whose residential address is not stated in the court papers denied the rape charges when he appeared before Bulawayo Regional Court magistrate Crispen Mberewere.

The state represented by Trust Mudumo called the complainant to testify whose names are withheld as she is a rape victim.

She said Mazonde had gained her trust and she would visit him at his house where he stays alone.

"It was my first time to trust a man who is not my husband to a point of visiting him at his home," she said.

"He had given me directions on how to reach his house and I followed them until I got there. I was intending to later go and collect my child from school after visiting him. When I entered the house I stood at the dining room while he remained at the door. He told me that he was watching television in his bedroom and asked if I could join him."

Since she trusted him, she obliged and proceeded to seat on his bed and watched the television with him.

After a while, Mazonde allegedly started seducing her and asking for sex, of which she turned him down but he stood up and held her by the waist while kissing her.

"I pushed him away but he was strong and he pushed me to his bed and removed my shoes and pants. I asked him why he was doing that to me and why he wanted to sleep with me without wearing a condom," said the woman.

"He then pressed me down and before proceeding to wear a condom. He then forced me to kneel and he raped me using the dog style and later turned me over and raped me again."

But the accused's lawyer, Robson Mahachi, defended his client telling the court that he never raped her but they had consensual sex in which she even suggested he puts on a condom and they had the pleasure of changing positions during the act.

The woman denied the claim saying she only asked him why he wanted to sleep with her without protection.

"Did you scream when he was doing that?" asked Mahachi.

"I did not scream as I was shocked because I trusted him and the neighbourhood was quiet, I thought no one would help me. I tried to go to the door but I found it locked," the complainant responded.

"But in his defence he is saying that you were the one who started kissing him standing between his legs before the sexual act started and after that you both went out in a hurry and when you were by the gate he said he had forgotten a towel to take to the gym and he left you holding a gym back?" Mahachi questioned her.

The complainant responded: "It is not true I never waited for him and I never held his bag the only thing I took from him was a burger which he forced me to take to give to my child. Yes, he paid for both of us and we boarded the same taxi."

"I put it to you that you slept with the accused consensually and the evidence you are bringing to court does not suggest that you were raped as you even suggested that he should wear a condom," charged Mahachi.

The complainant told the court she only told her husband the following day as she was afraid to tell him but when she told him he encouraged her to report to the police.

The woman later reported the matter to the police leading to Mazonde's arrest.

The trial continues.