‘Kidnapper’ asks to marry teen victim

By Lisa Mangena

A 32 year old man from Bulawayo has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and locking a teenager in his house for two days.

Ndumiso Ncube of Thorngrove suburb allegedly locked Miss Langelihle Ntini in his house and later asked to her to marry him.

Ncube pleaded not guilty to a charge of kidnapping when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Miss Sibonginkosi Mkandla.

He was remanded in custody to Wednesday for trial.

Ncube told the court that he merely helped Miss Ntini with a place to sleep.

Prosecuting, Mr Simbarashe Manyiwa said on February 13 at around 4PM, Miss Ntini alighted from a bus at Nake Bus Terminus from her rural home in Lower Gweru.

“She approached Ncube and asked him if he knew where she could get transport to Plumtree where she had got a job as a maid. Miss Ntini explained to Ncube that she had no cell phone but had a contact number of the person she was going to.

“Ncube asked Miss Ntini to accompany him to his house to get his cell phone to contact the person in Plumtree. He ordered her to wait for him while he collected the phone at his sister’s house but only came back late at night and suggested that she sleeps over,” he said.

In the morning, Mr Manyiwa said, Ncube asked Miss Ntini to cook him some food and also wash his plates but she refused.

He said Ncube left the house and locked Miss Ntini inside.

“He came back at around 10PM and ordered her to cook supper. Later on he told her that he wanted to marry her but she refused.

“On February 15, Ncube left the house after ordering the woman not to talk to anyone and left her locked in the house”, said Mr Manyiwa.

Later during the day, Miss Ntini opened the windows and shouted at passersby for help and one of them called the police who came to her rescue.

Ncube was arrested on the same day. The Chronicle