Rape case: Hartzell head arrested

By Ray Bande

In an intriguing twist of events in the Hartzell High sexual abuse case, headmaster Shorwi Kawadza was arrested amid stunning revelations that the school head is the one who abused an orphaned minor and hatched a plan to defeat the course of justice by having senior teacher William Mukwindidza as the accused.

Since the start of this case, Mukwindidza was named as the accused who is responsible for sexually abusing the minor and infecting her with a serious sexually transmitted disease.

However, it has since emerged that Mukwindidza was a victim of circumstances as Kawadza (57), working in cahoots with orphanage staffer Cecilia Thobani (49), derailed investigations in a desperate effort to falsely have Mukwindidza as the accused person.

Manicaland police spokesperson Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakova confirmed the arrest of Kawadza and Thobani.

He said investigations are still in progress.

“Yes, the Hartzell High headmaster Shorwi Kawadza was arrested together with Cecelia Thobani, who is a staff member at Fairfield Children’s Home.

“On September 23 this year, a case of sexual abuse was reported and it was said to have happened between January and April 2015. William Mukwindidza (35) was named as the accused. He was arrested and the case is still pending in the courts.

“However, on November 24, we got a tip off that the minor in question had a sexual relationship with the headmaster. Further investigations by the police also revealed that indeed there was a sexual relationship between the headmaster and the minor.

“It was discovered that the headmaster influenced the child to accuse Mukwindidza. It is said that the child was given $40 to name Mukwindidza as the perpetrator. However, investigations are still in progress,” said Inspector Kakova.

The two, who were detained overnight last Thursday, were released and the court will now proceed by way of summons pending conclusion of the docket by police. Manica Post