Juvenile Up For 3 Counts Of Rape

Patience Nhamburo

A 16-year-old juvenile has appeared at the Harare magistrates courts facing three counts of raping his cousin.

The court heard that, on the 26th of March 2020, the complainant visited her grandmother in Park Town, Waterfalls, where the accused was also residing with the granny. On the same day at around 1800hrs, the complainant was playing with her young sisters and she left them and proceeded to her grandmother’s bedroom where she wanted to take a comb to dress her doll’s hair. Whilst on her way to the bedroom, she met the accused in the passage and he accompanied her to the room.

Whilst in the bedroom, she asked the accused to help her do her school assignment. He then asked for sexual intercourse from the complainant in return for helping her with the assignment. The accused then ordered the complainant to sleep on the floor facing upwards and removed her bottom trousers, but left the under garment on. He then removed his bottom trousers and took out his private part and started rubbing it against the complainant’s thighs until he produced a white liquid. After the act, he proceeded to help her with her school work.

On different dates the accused had sexual intercourse with the complainant without her consent in her parents’ bedroom. Sometime in the month of December, the complainant visited her grandmother in Glen View 1 for the holidays where she reported the sexual abuse to her, The grandmother promised to inform the complainant’s mother about the matter.

The matter came to light after ZRP Machipisa received a tip off. Investigations were carried out and the tip off came out positive.

The complainant was referred to the Family Support Clinic at Harare Hospital for medical examination, leading to the arrest of the accused.

Harare Magistrate Yeukai Dzuda, remanded the juvenile out of custody to the 9th of March 2022, and released him into the custody of his parents.