A ZANU PF activist charged with attempted rape told the Bulawayo Regional Court yesterday that Umguza MP and Transport minister Obert Mpofu had told them at a rally not to talk to MDC-T members.
SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Smart Ndlovu (39) of Ntobi area in Inyathi, told the court that the alleged victim was his former lover and she wanted them to rekindle their affair by asking him to talk to her mother, who is a member of the MDC-T, but he could not defy Mpofu’s orders.
Ndlovu, who appeared before regional magistrate Mark Dzira said he had an affair with the woman until October 2012 when he decided to quit the relationship after realising that the woman was married.
He said the woman protested when he quit and the rape allegations were meant to fix him.
“She had asked me to talk to her mother about the relationship and I refused,” Ndlovu said.
“I told her that at a rally, Mpofu told us not to talk to MDC-T members and since her mother was an MDC-T member I would not be able to talk to her.”
Ndlovu said at that time the political situation was tense such that it was not possible for him to associate with any one from the MDC-T as it was during the election campaign period. He said the complainant’s mother is a chairperson of the MDC-T in the area.
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He said when he was arrested, the woman’s mother had asked him to pay her $500 so that she could drop the charges, but he refused saying it was her daughter who was the complainant in the case.
“Her mother said I should pay her $500 so that she drops the charges saying the complainant’s husband had not paid lobola and I must pay the money so that she benefits, but I refused,” Ndlovu said.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect her identity, said she disembarked from a bus at Insuza at around 6pm on June 21 2012 and looked for transport to take her home.
She said Ndlovu was at the bus stop with a scotchcart and she asked for a lift, but he charged her $20 which she complained was too much and he agreed to lower it, but did not tell her how much he would eventually charge her.
She said Ndlovu loaded her goods and two other men jumped into the scotchcart, but alighted along the way leaving her with Ndlovu. She alleged that Ndlovu attempted to rape her, but she fled.
Ndlovu allegedly gave chase and caught up with her, but she claimed to have grabbed and squeezed his manhood before fleeing into the bushes.
The woman said when she got home, Ndlovu was already offloading her goods and she reported the incident to her husband. However, Ndlovu denied having any scuffle with the woman or attempting to rape her.
“We went for a long way together and if I had wanted to rape her why did I not do it while still far away from her home?
“She might have lied because she did not want to pay me for transport,” Ndlovu said.
