BY DARLINGTON MWASHITA
A MAN from Nyamandlovu in Matabeleland North has appeared in court facing charges of raping a minor after enticing her with an offer of sweet reeds.
The accused (23) was not asked to plead to rape when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Lizwe Jamela on Monday.
He was remanded in custody to January 31.
The court was told that on April 2017, the girl (name withheld for ethical reasons) visited her grandfather in Nyamandlovu, where the accused was employed as a domestic worker.
It is alleged that during the same month, the accused asked the girl if she likes sweet reeds and she expressed interest.
He then took the minor to the fields under the pretext that they were going to harvest some sweet reeds and raped her.
He allegedly threatened to kill the minor’s grandmother if she ever revealed the abuse.
The girl did not tell anyone until November 2018 when her aunt, who is a traditional healer asked her if she was hiding something from her. That was when the girl revealed the rape. They reported the matter the minor’s mother.
The court was told that on January 21 this year, the girl’s mother escorted her to the police and filed a report which led to accused’s arrest.
The girl was referred to Nyamandlovu Hospital for medical examination.
