The Sunday News
Clinton Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
A ROGUE 13-year-old school dropout from Lingwe area in Kezi, Matabeleland South province allegedly kidnapped an eight-year-old crippled girl before raping her the whole night after tying her legs and hands.
The heart-wrenching incident happened last week and the boy has since disappeared from the village.
Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philani Ndebele confirmed the incident and said police were looking for the boy.
“I can confirm that the police are handling a rape case involving a 13-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl,” said Insp Ndebele.
According to one of the villagers in the area who identified herself as Mrs Ncube the crippled girl who was doing Grade One at a local school was kidnapped by the boy while she was on her way from school.
“She was coming from school when the boy attacked her and took her to his home where he resides with his mother. He stayed there with her from that afternoon until the following morning,” said Mrs Ncube.
She said the girl’s grandmother became worried when the girl did not come home.
“She decided to go and ask other children but they told her that she had already gone back home. She then alerted us that her grandchild was missing. We spent most of the night looking for her,” said Mrs Ncube.
She said the following morning, one of the children who had seen the boy with the girl, told villagers who immediately headed to the boy’s homestead.
When the search party arrived at the boy’s homestead, they found the girl in one of the huts where she was tied on both the hands and legs.
“We discovered that she was also raped and heavily injured,” said Mrs Ncube.
When the boy discovered that there were angry villagers outside, he bolted out of the room and ran away.
Villagers tried to track him but could not find him and reported the matter to police. The girl was taken to St Joseph’s Clinic and was later referred to Maphisa Hospital where she is admitted.
