The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
A 23-year-old woman from Lobernvale suburb in the Rangemore area of Bulawayo will forever be grateful to Mother Nature for perfectly timing her menstrual cycle, which literally kicked in before she could be raped.
The woman, who can not be named for professional reasons, survived a rape attack but was not so fortunate, as her assailant, allegedly robbed her of her bag and purse, which contained $8. This was heard in court last week when Bernard Muzamba appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing a count of attempted rape and that of robbery.
He was remanded in custody to 12 March for trial. According to the State’s case, as presented by Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo, on 19 February, the woman disembarked from a commuter omnibus near where she stays. Muzamba, who was also in the same commuter omnibus disembarked and started following her.
The court heard that the woman saw that she was being followed but never thought that Muzamba was after raping her as they were in the same commuter omnibus. Mr Dlodlo told the court that a few minutes later, Muzamba threw a rope on the woman’s neck and choked her while closing her mouth so that she could not scream.
He allegedly dragged the woman to a nearby maize crop with the intention to rape her. Muzamba allegedly tore the woman’s clothes but he was put off by the blood which indicated the woman was on her menstrual cycle.
The court heard that he, however, grabbed her handbag, which contained her money and ran away. The woman managed to rush home where she got help and later reported the case to the police. The police launched investigations leading to the arrest of Muzamba. The woman suffered bruises on her neck, as well as a blue eye, after being hit by the rapist cum thief. — @peterkmatika
