Rugare girl murder suspect remanded

By Innocent Ruwende

HARARE – The Harare man who allegedly confessed to raping and strangling to death 10-year-old Rugare girl Stacy Munjoma yesterday appeared in court charged with murder. 

Tawanda Mugove (27) who allegedly showed strange behaviour and moved from his home in Rugare to live along Mukuvisi River after the girl’s murder, was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei.

He was remanded in custody to May 31.

Prosecutor Mr Tungamirai Chakurira alleges that on February 17 at around 5:20pm, Stacy left her aunt’s home in Kambuzuma for Rugare where she was living with her grandparents.

Stacy was escorted from Kambuzuma to the intersection of Kambuzuma and Nyashanu roads by her cousins Shawn and Rufaro Mudzana. Stacy never reached her destination and was found dead in a maize field near Rugare Community Stadium on February 20 this year.

Her genitals were swollen and her thighs had bruises. A post-mortem established that she had died of traumatic shock due to sexual assault. On May 10 this year police received information to the effect that Mugove was behaving suspiciously ever since the rape and murder of Stacy.

He is alleged to have moved from his residence in Rugare and was now staying along Mukuvisi River bank in Mbare. Mugove, it is alleged, would occasionally visit nightclubs in Rugare during the night and go back to Mukuvisi River bank.

On May 14 he was arrested at Mashazhike night club in Rugare and was interviewed in connection with Stacy’s murder. It is alleged that he confessed that he came across her on the fateful day along Nyashanu Road and dragged her to a nearby maize field before raping her once.

He is alleged to have strangled her to death after realising that she could later identify him as he was from the same neighbourhood.