The Sunday News
A 19-year-old man from Mberengwa accused of waylaying schoolchildren while wielding a razor blade and a knife before raping them has appeared at the Zvishavane Magistrate’s Court facing charges of rape.
Timothy Banda, of no fixed aboard, had been evading police since 2012 when he allegedly committed the crime, but was finally arrested in Zvishavane last month following a tip-off from members of the public.
Zvishavane magistrate Mr Story Rushambwa remanded Banda to tomorrow pending transfer of his case to the regional court where he is expected to answer to two counts of rape. He was not asked to plead. The State represented by Mr Ausi Saidi alleges that on an unknown date in 2012, Banda met a 10-year-old girl at Vanguard Compound in Mberengwa, who was coming from school in the company her friends.
Banda is alleged to have asked the girl if she had his parcel from the headmaster, to which she said no.
The court heard that the accused then produced a razor blade and ordered her friends to leave the area, before he dragged his victim to a nearby bush. Banda is alleged to have then ordered the girl to remove her uniform but the she refused, leading to him tripping her before raping her once.
Later that day, the girl got home and related her ordeal to her aunt who reported the case to the police.
A manhunt for Banda by police proved futile.
Later that year, Banda is alleged to have waylaid a nine-year-old Grade One pupil, whom he raped after intimidating her with a knife and later gave her a dollar to buy her silence.
Mr Saidi told the court that on 28 September 2012 at around 7am, at Vanguard Compound, the accused met another minor who was going to school in the company of her friends.
Banda is alleged to have stopped the girls and pretended that he wanted to give the girl a parcel meant for her teacher.
The court heard that he then ordered her friends to proceed to school and remained behind with the minor whom he force-marched at knife point to a nearby hill where he raped her once and gave her a dollar in a bid to bribe her from reporting the matter. The child, however, on getting to school, told her teacher what had happened and the matter was reported to the police.
Another manhunt for the accused was launched but he could not be immediately arrested.
Banda was only arrested last month when members of the public identified him from the police wanted list.
