Caretaker in the dock for kissing a school pupil

Mansure Mwedzi (58), who is a caretaker at Dzivaresekwa 4 Primary School has appeared in court charged with indecent assault after he allegedly kissed a Grade 6 pupil.

Mr. Mwedzi forced the 11-year-old girl into the storeroom where he caressed her cheeks before kissing her.

Prosecutor Ms Rosewitter Madembo alleged that on July 4 this year at around 7:30am, Mwedzi ordered the girl to switch off the light in the storeroom.

The girl, it is alleged, failed to locate the switch and went out to tell Mwedzi.

Mwedzi went inside the storeroom and ordered the girl to follow him.

When she entered, the State says, Mwedzi started caressing the girl's cheeks saying she had a soft skin.

He went on to kiss her on the cheek. He was disturbed by the noise of other schoolchildren who were entering the classroom.

The girl reported the matter to her class teacher and a report was made to the police leading to his arrest.

In her statement the girl stated that Mwedzi started his unusual behaviour when she was in Grade 4.

She said Mwedzi would force her to call him uncle since he came from the same rural area with her mother.

She further said Mwedzi would offer her sweets, biscuits and maputi and would sometimes force her to escort him wherever he would be going.

Mwedzi pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei.

In his defence, Mwedzi denied the allegations arguing that he only pinched the little girl's cheeks and never kissed her.

Mr Ndirowei remanded Mwedzi to July 20 on US$20 bail.