Boy rips girl’s privates with Okapi knife

By Lungile Tshuma and Munyaradzi Musiiwa

A 17-YEAR-OLD Juvenile from Tsholotsho left villagers tongue-tied after allegedly ripping the tiny private parts of a four-year-old girl with an Okapi knife before raping her.

The incident happened on Friday last week in Tshakawa Village in Dikili area. The boy reportedly ripped the girl’s privates after realising that his organ was too big for the child’s privates.

“This boy did the most cruel and unheard of thing in our society. The boy took an Okapi knife and ripped apart the girl’s private parts because her private parts were too small for him,” fumed Ward 19 Councillor Alois Ndebele, who is among the people who took both the girl and the boy to a police station in Tsholotsho.

“This boy took the girl’s under garments and shoved them in her mouth so that her screams could not be heard. After the incident, the girl was bleeding continuously and we never thought she was going to survive, as she lost too much blood,” added Clr Ndebele who fumed throughout the interview.

Tshakawa Village head, Mr Luke Ncube, said the juvenile had a long history of being aggressive and abusive. He said it was now time for him to be given a life sentence.

“His history tells us that he is very aggressive and abusive. He was once taken by police and they disciplined him after he abused his peers. We don’t tolerate such behaviour in society and police officers are coming soon to do an awareness campaign on rape,” said Mr Ncube.

Mr Luke Munyedzi, a neighbourhood watch committee member at Chefunye called for the castration of the suspect.

He said: “He (the rapist) needs to be castrated because he has proved that he is an animal. There is no more peace in this area all because of these young men. We call upon the Government to set up a police station in this area so that police can instil discipline among these youths.

“Crime is now high in this area and this case is a reflection of what is happening in society. These youths insult elders and they are no longer showing them respect. We, therefore, call upon police to come and restore order.”

Matabeleland North police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Siphiwe Makonese was unavailable for a comment as her mobile number was not reachable.

This incident comes at a time when the Government is trying to curb rape through launching the National Action Plan Against Rape and Sexual Abuse. The action plan is part of strategies adopted by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Rape set up early this year to deal with the scourge.

Meanwhile, a 43-year-old rapist stepfather has been slapped with a 30-year jail sentence after he was found guilty of raping his two stepdaughters aged nine and six before he went into hiding for seven years in a bid to evade arrest.

The man of Chief Mkoka’s area in Gokwe North pleaded not guilty to both counts when he was arraigned before Gokwe-Kwekwe regional magistrate Mr Amos Mbobo last week.

He was, however, convicted after a full trial and sentenced to 30 years, five of which were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

The State’s case was that sometime in 2004, the man seized an opportunity when the girls’ mother fell sick and lured his nine-year-old stepdaughter to accompany him to a nearby bush to look for herbs for their ailing mother.

When the two got to the bush, he allegedly tripped the girl to the ground and raped her once before threatening her with unspecified action if she reported the matter to anyone.

Sometime in 2006, the man took advantage of his wife’s absence and invited his other stepdaughter, who was then six years, to sleep in his bedroom hut.

The court heard that he raped the girl once before threatening her with unspecified action in a bid to conceal the heinous act.

The matter, however, came to light when the girls escaped from home and sought refuge at their aunt’s place where they divulged that they could no longer stand the sexual abuse.

The matter was reported to the police leading to his arrest in 2007.

He was granted bail by the High Court in the same year but fled to South Africa.

Luck, however, ran out for him when he came back to his rural home seven years after committing the crime and police got a tip-off from fellow villagers leading to his arrest in December last year.

Mr Robert Ndlala appeared for the State. Sunday News