By Felix Mwatutsa
MARONDERA– Local police are looking for a suspected armed robber who also allegedly raped a woman twice before stealing her belongings in the Ngomakarira Mountains in Goromonzi.
The suspect threatened to kill the woman with a machete before raping her twice without protection and stealing from her US$5, a cream fleece blanket, an orange fleece blanket, two blankets and a navy blue Redmi 9A cellphone.
The 22-year-old woman went to the Nyamakurira Mountains, Domboshava, alone for prayers. She met two ladies only identified as Mai Tino and Mai Tapiwa, who were also praying in the mountains. She joined them, and they spent the whole night praying together.
The next day, at around 6am, the two ladies went to their respective homes promising the victim that they would return to resume prayers at around 5pm. The woman remained behind, praying alone and later slept under a Muhacha tree in the mountains.
She was awakened by the suspect, who was holding a black traveling bag. The suspect reportedly quizzed her why she did not make a payment to be on the mountain saying the place was a protected place under the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe.
He claimed to be part of the security personnel assigned to monitor movements on the mountain and told the victim that she was under arrest. He ordered the woman to climb the mountain to join others whom he claimed to have also arrested.
While going to the top of the mountain, the suspect pulled out a machete from his bag and threatened to kill her if she refused to comply with his orders. He force-marched her to the mountain top and took her to a depression, where he ordered her to lie down and allegedly raped her once without protection.
The suspect then ordered the victim to sit down while he smoked three cigarettes and soon after smoking, ordered the woman, who had put on her clothes, to remove them again, before raping her for the second time without protection.
After the act, he stole from the woman cash and various items before fleeing. When the woman discovered that the suspect had gone, she descended the mountain and reported the matter to ZRP Chinamhora on the same day.
Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Simon Chazovachiyi confirmed the incident and said the victim was referred to Parirenyatwa Hospital for a medical examination and investigations are in progress.
New Ziana
