Rapist battered to death by mob in Chipinge

A mob of 10 villagers reportedly fatally attacked a Chipinge man who was caught red-handed raping a neighbour’s wife in Musirizwi village in the district. Police this week said no arrest had been made, but urged people to desist from meting instant justice.

The deceased, Kenneth Majuta (26), on Monday last week went to his neighbour’s homestead at Musirizwi village in Chipinge where he forced open the door at the 24-year-old complainant’s hut at around 10pm.

He found her asleep in her bedroom hut. Police said Majuta went to the bed pretending he was the complainant’s husband and raped her once. However, as they were being intimate, she noticed that the man was not her real husband.

She then screamed for help while preventing the rapist from leaving the hut. One of the villagers implicated in the murder, Simon Chireni, rushed to Chigumira’s homestead and found out Majuta had raped his neighbour.

He then tied him up and proceeded to call the complainant’s husband, Prince Simango, who was at Lovemore Chimene’s homestead in the same village. Police said Chireni teamed up with nine other villagers and assaulted Majuta.

“When they arrived at Chigumira’s homestead, the 10 started to assault the now deceased several times using logs, clenched fists and booted feet. After a prolonged assault, they handed him over to the police who took him to Chipinge,” said acting Manicaland police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Enock Chishiri.

“He was referred to Chipinge District Hospital for treatment, but he died the following morning,” he said. Chishiri said no arrests had been made because all the 10 villagers left the village after realising that Majuta would not survive.

“We are advising members of the public not to take the law into their hands and they should report all matters to the police,” said Chishiri. NewsDay