A 66-YEAR-OLD man from Funyana village in Matabeleland North yesterday appeared at the Bulawayo Regional Court facing charges of raping his granddaughter’s 11-year-old friend and trying to buy her silence by giving her sweet reeds. PRESTIGE GAMA OWN CORRESPONDENT
The man, who denied the charge, appeared before regional magistrate Crispen Mberewere.
The case was postponed to September 9.
“What this young girl is saying is not true. I would not have slept with her because to me she was like my granddaughter,” said the man.
The minor told the court that she used to visit her friend after school to play or help with some household chores.
According to the State’s outline, the accused would encourage his granddaughter to always bring her friend every day after school claiming that she was a good friend she should emulate.
The man would send his granddaughter to gather sweet reeds in the fields for her friend, but always asking that the latter remains behind since she was a visitor.
The man would tell the girl that she was now mature enough to be married and that she would make a good wife to him.
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On the day in question, the man then allegedly pulled up the minor’s uniform to chest level, removed her panties and raped her.
When he saw his granddaughter returning while still in the process of raping the girl, he jumped off, took the sweet reeds and gave her and warned her against telling anyone and asked her to return for more sweet reeds the next day.
The girl told her mother, who reported the matter to the police before taking her daughter to hospital for a check-up.