Gang of four intoxicates minor (14), rapes her

By Tatenda Gapare

FOUR Bulawayo men have been hauled before the courts for allegedly forcing a 14-year-old Eveline High School Form Two pupil to drink vodka before gang raping her.

Sandiso Moyo (26), Malvin Moyo (24), Oliver Sibanda (37) and Chilando Mwansa (27) appeared before Mrs Charity Maphosa facing rape charges.

One of the accused, Sibanda, is employed as a nurse at Mpilo Central Hospital. The four men were remanded out of custody to 9 November on $50 bail each.

Prosecuting, Mr Dumisani Ndlovu told the court that on 29 July 2015 at around 12 noon, the victim received a call from her friend but she initially did not answer until she received a text message from Sandiso asking her to respond to the call.

“After about 27 minutes the victim received a text message from Sandiso saying: ‘Ngu Sandiso answer your phone baby’. After answering the phone, Sandiso told her that her friend wanted to meet her. The victim then proceeded to Barbourfields Pre-School with the anticipation of meeting her friend but was instead surprised to find Sandiso,” he said.

It is alleged that the girl thought she was going to meet her friend but was surprised to meet Sandiso who then led her to a house near where her friend was.

“Upon arrival the victim saw her friend cleaning but looking very dirty; she then joined the other three men who were sitting on the house’s front lawn. The nurse, Sibanda, forced the victim to drink Pushkin alcohol but she kept on refusing. On a third attempt she then gave in and drank the alcohol,” he said.

It is alleged that when the victim drank the alcohol she felt hot on the throat. Ndlovu told the court that Sibanda kept on supplying the victim with alcohol until she was highly intoxicated.

“Sibanda then smiled stating that the victim was now drunk and he ordered Malvin to lock her inside the house. The girl was dragged to the sitting room by the four men and put on a sofa where she fell asleep,” he said.

The girl forgot what happened after that because she was highly intoxicated and asleep. Ndlovu said at around 6pm she woke up and asked for water to drink but was threatened and harassed by the four men.

“When the victim woke up, the four men threatened and harassed the minor commanding her to go home. The girl then demanded back her mobile phone which had been taken by the men. They gave her back after a while,” he said.

Mr Ndlovu said Sandiso and Mwansa force-marched the girl to her house and left her about 50 metres from the house alone at night, exposing her to danger.

“On 30 July at around 5am the girl woke up and discovered that she was wearing a red t-shirt which belonged to Sandiso. When the victim’s grandmother woke up she discovered that she was either drunk or sick so she then interviewed her. After the victim narrated the story her grandmother reported the matter to the police,” he said.

Ndlovu told the court that medical reports from Family Support Clinic proved that the girl was raped and had a fresh hymen tear. Sunday News