Cops appear in court for rape

Two police officers who allegedly took turns to rape a theft suspect five times at a police base in Cowdray Park appeared in court yesterday.

Norman Njaya, 29, and Constantine Musetwa, 27, would reapetedly swap the 19-year-old woman after ordering her to wash up with each session.

They allegedly raped the teenager claiming that they would help clear her of the theft charges she was facing.

Njaya allegedly raped the teenager three times while Musetwa allegedly abused her twice.

The two were not asked to plead when they appeared before provincial magistrate Willard Maphios Moyo facing five counts of rape.

They were remanded out of custody to February 13 on $100 bail each.

Moyo ordered Njaya and Musetwa to continue residing at Luveve Police Camp and report at the police station every Friday.

They are not to leave Bulawayo for more than 24 hours without the consent of the courts and should not interfere with state witnesses.

Prosecuting, Mitchelle Chiboiwa told the court that Njaya and Musetwa were on duty on Sunday around 11AM  at the Cowdray Park Police Base when they had  in their custody a 19-year-old woman who was facing allegations of having stolen clothes from her guardian.

Chiboiwa said the woman was taken into an unused wooden room at the police base where she was interviewed by Njaya.

During the interviews, the young woman told him that the person whom she had allegedly stolen clothes from had taken her shoes and panty that she was wearing.

Njaya promised to assist the woman on condition that she had sex with him and his colleague Musetwa, the court heard.

Chiboiwa said Njaya then took the complainant into another room where he spread a blanket which was rolled at the corner of the room while Musetwa stood guard at the entrance.

She said Njaya ordered the woman to lift her dress and allegedly raped her. After raping her, he instructed her to go and bath in the toilet which was about 10 metres from the building.

The court heard that the woman complied.

Chiboiwa told the court that Njaya instructed woman to return to the room and wait for Musetwa.

She said when Musetwa came, he told the complainant that they did not have any condoms with them.

He gave the woman his trousers to use as a pillow before he went on to rape her, the court heard.

Chiboiwa said the two would alternate in raping the woman. She said they would instruct her to go and bath each time they raped her.

When it was Musetwa's turn to rape her for the third time, the court heard, the woman escaped.

She boarded a kombi that was parked at a local terminus.

Chiboiwa said while in the kombi, she was spotted by the driver crying.

She said the driver asked her why she was crying but the complainant did not answer.

Chiboiwa said the woman finally opened up and disclosed that she had been raped after a Sergeant Zivemba, who was in the same kombi, identified himself as a police officer.

She said Sgt Zivemba then phoned ZRP Luveve and reported the case.

The Luveve police officers went to Cowdray Park Police Base and found the rape suspects busy looking for the woman.

Chiboiwa said the two were summoned to Luveve Police Station where they were arrested while the woman was taken to Mpilo Central Hospital.