WAR VETERAN Ndola Gwebu (57) from Mzilikazi in Bulawayo, who last week stunned the court by saying a six-year-old girl he abused by making her suck his manhood was his girlfriend, again shocked the court yesterday when he said the 12-year-old girl he is accused of raping refused to have sex with him because of his HIV status.
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“I did not have sex with her. She refused to sleep with me saying I am HIV-positive and said she was on menstrual cycle and would sleep with me when she ended her cycle,” he told a stunned court.
Gwebu is facing two counts of aggravated indecent assault and one of rape.
Appearing before magistrate Crispen Mberewere at the Bulawayo Regional Victim-Friendly Court yesterday, Gwebu admitted inserting his finger into the six-year-old girl’s private parts, but denied raping the 12-year-old girl saying she turned his sexual request down.
Mberewere convicted Gwebu on another aggravated indecent assault case.
Gwebu raised his index finger indicating the level of insertion.
He said it was surprising that he was being accused of raping the girl in November 2013, but was only arrested in January this year. He said she could have implicated him for rape after being subjected to torture by her parents.
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Prosecutor Trust Mudumo tendered a medical report indicating that she was raped.
The State then called the 12-year-old girl to testify.
“I know accused because we were advised to consider him as an uncle by our parents,” she said.
“I was going to visit my grandmother who stays with him on the day when he called me to his room.
“He told me to lie on his bed, but I refused so he pushed me onto it.
“He removed my pair of trousers and panties before removing his.”
The girl said he then raped her and then gave her $1.
“After two days he called me again and he did the same and this time he did it by force and injured me and I started bleeding,” she said.
“I cried and he gave me $2 saying I must buy chips. The matter came to light after he had called me and I refused. That is when he called my younger sister.
“I had told him that I would tell my parents since he had injured me.”
The girl said when she started crying after Gwebu had injured her after the second rape, her grandmother staying with Gwebu came to the door and inquired what was wrong.
The war veteran allegedly said there was nothing wrong.
She said she did not disclose the rape to anyone because Gwebu had threatened to bewitch her whole family.
