Teacher stabbed, gang raped in front of her children

A female teacher at Mangwade Primary School in Lower Gweru was on Monday tied with a scarf, stabbed and raped by two of five robbers who stormed her house, while her three children watched helplessly.

The robbers then went on a stealing and attacking spree, where they attacked and stole from the school headmaster and other teachers. They then attacked a local businessman and stole groceries before finally attacking a pastor with an iron bar.

Although Midlands police spokesperson Inspector Ethel Mukwende could not comment on the issue, Midlands provincial education director Ms Agnes Gudo confirmed the incident.

She said: "I have met the female teacher who was raped and the headmaster. We are in the process of sending her three children to a psychologist and later on the headmaster and the female teacher will have to be attended to by the ministry's psychologists."

A teacher at the school narrated the incident, which he said shocked the community. He said on the day, most teachers were not at school as they had gone to town as it was month end, when the five robbers stormed around midnight. Only the female teacher and the headmaster Mr Fananidzo Muchemwa were present.

"The robbers were five - three entered the school premises and two remained outside the school yard. They went straight to the female teacher's house where two of them took turns to rape her in the presence of her three children aged three, nine and 11," he said.

He added that after raping the teacher, the robbers tied her with a scarf and one of them stabbed her on the back. They ordered her to the headmaster's house where at first they told her to tell Mr Muchemwa that her child had fallen sick so she wanted to be accompanied to the hospital.

"Out of fear, she obliged, resulting in Mr Muchemwa unsuspectingly opening the door," he said.

He said the robbers took the headmaster's smartphone and smashed it on the ground before they force-marched him to the school safe where money is kept. However, they failed to open the safe and forced marched the headmaster back to his house where they locked him in. They took the car keys of his Nissan Serena.

The teacher said the robbers then ransacked other teachers' rooms where they took food stuffs, clothes, among other goods.

As if that was not enough, the robbers allegedly went to a local businessman, Mr Milford Hlabangana's shop at Mangwande Business Centre where they stoned his house before heading to his shop where they stole goods.

The robbers also allegedly on the same day stormed Seventh Day Adventist pastor Prosper Takawira' homestead where they attacked him with an iron bar.

Meanwhile, a 42-year-old knife wielding man robbed a woman of property worth $620 before tying her hands and raping her while her two children aged six and 10 watched. Last Ncube who is employed as a farm worker at Plot 14 Damara Farm in Kezi area was not asked to plead when he appeared briefly before Gwanda magistrate, Miss Nomagugu Ncube facing charges of rape, robbery and unlawful entry last week. He was remanded in custody to 9 August.

Prosecuting, Mr Takudzwa Mafudze said Ncube stormed the woman's homestead on 22 April around 11pm.

"The complainant and her two children retired to bed and she forgot to close the bedroom window. Around 11pm, Ncube arrived at the homestead and gained access into the bedroom through the open window.

"The woman woke up and saw Ncube who had a knife standing next to her. He ordered her to remain silent and comply with his orders and threatened to stab her and the children if she did otherwise. He also warned the children against screaming.

Ncube took property worth $620 from the complainant's house," said Mr Mafudze.

He said Ncube then cut a piece of cloth from the woman's bedspread and used it to tie her hands. Mr Mafudze said the woman begged Ncube to take all the property that he wanted and leave her but he did not entertain her plea.

He said Ncube raped the woman while her two children who were also in the same room watched helplessly.

"After he was done Ncube left the homestead and the woman took her children and went to report what had transpired to her mother-in-law. The matter was reported to the police resulting in Ncube's arrest after investigations were carried out," he said.