79-year-old up for rape

By Zvikomborero Parafini

A seventy nine year-old man was yesterday arraigned before the courts after he allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl who is his neighbour in Chinamhora.

Dzinza Tonio was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko facing two counts of rape.

He was referred to the High Court for bail application as he is facing a third schedule offence.

Prosecuting Idah Maromo, told the court that the juvenile was approached by Tonio sometime this month very early in the morning as she was on her way to school who advised her that she was needed by a female person who was in a nearby bush.

The complainant was accompanied by Tonio into the bush to where he was claiming there was somebody who needed her and on their way, he ordered the girl to remove her underwear and raped her.

After the incident, he raped and threatened to kill the girl if she revealed it to anyone then she proceeded to school.

In the second count, it is alleged that on July 23, Tonio saw the girl going to school and tried to lure the girl as he had done before and she refused.

He allegedly then ordered her to follow him into the bush whilst he was holding an axe and then raped her.

Tonio ran out of luck when he was caught raping the girl by Luckson Muzinja and Jacob Zulu who stopped him and took him to the girl’s parents who lodged a complaint with the police leading to his arrest. H-Metro