Man 'rapes' former lover's daughter (12)

A 45-YEAR-OLD man from Umfazimithi Village 4 in Umguza district, under Village head Gift Mulawuzi is in trouble after he allegedly raped his former girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter.

The man (name withheld to protect the minor) pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and rape charges when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga on Monday.

Malunga remanded him in custody to Wednesday for ruling.

The State alleges that sometime in December last year, the 12-year-old girl went to fetch water from a well in Umfazimithi Village 4.

She met the accused on her way home, who fondled her breasts.

The juvenile went home and reported the matter to her aunt, who confronted the accused and reprimanded him. The accused allegedly promised not to do it again.

But after that same month, the juvenile was left home with her four-year-old sibling after the aunt went to a nearby village to buy building material.

The accused reportedly arrived at the girl's home to do construction work. He then requested the girl to help him carry bags of cement from a hut to the construction site.

The girl agreed and when they got into the hut, the accused allegedly tripped the juvenile to the ground and raped her.

He threatened to kill her if she disclosed the matter, and promised to give the juvenile some money.

However, she disclosed the rape to her mother in Bulawayo, who made a police report, leading to the arrest of the accused.

In his defence, the rapist claimed that the charges were being falsely levelled against him due to a grudge he had with the juvenile's mother who he claimed was a former girlfriend.