Pupil falsifies rape charge against teacher

A Grade Seven pupil at a school in Sigonde area in Insuza, Bubi District, falsified a rape charge against her class teacher, a regional magistrate heard.

Bulawayo Regional magistrate Mr Godwin Sengweni heard this during the appearance of the teacher (name withheld for legal reasons) who was facing a charge of rape.

The girl (16), had reportedly been caught red-handed in a compromising position with a man from a nearby village at the school premises on 8 July, the day she alleged she was raped.

She then reportedly fabricated that her class teacher had sexually abused her for fear that her uncle would beat her up.

The girl's uncle is the head of the school and was staying with her at the school cottage.

The teacher was on Friday found not guilty and acquitted of rape by Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Sengweni.

The teacher also told the court that there was bad blood between him and the school head who wanted him to leave the school allegedly on tribal grounds.

He told the court that the girl once told him that her uncle wanted him transferred from the school.

Dismissing the case, Mr Sengweni said all State witnesses' testimonies left a lot to be desired, thereby leaving the State led by Ms Sifiso Ndlovu with no case.

He said the alleged rape case was "unique and strange to say the least considering that the girl did not report the matter even to other teachers who were sleeping in a separate bedroom in the same cottage.

The girl told the court that she could not scream or alert others because she was afraid and immediately went back to sleep soon after the alleged "rapist" had left, prompting the magistrate to say she was lying.

The girl reportedly revealed that the teacher had sexually abused her when she was being interrogated by a female teacher over her involvement with the man she had been caught with the previous night.

Comments