A MBERENGWA kombi driver, who allegedly kidnapped and repeatedly raped and assaulted his girlfriend before illegally crossing with her into Botswana, has warned her parents to ensure their homestead is guarded by police or the army as he was not done with them.
ALLIEWAY NYONI OWN CORRESPONDENT
Alfred Tasaranago Chihora is wanted by the police for four counts of kidnap, rape, assault and robbery. Chihora was enraged that his then girlfriend Rutendo Zhou was allegedly double-crossing him with a bus conductor.
He allegedly bundled her into a hijacked Toyota Granvia and drove to her parents’ homestead in Ruvabvu village in Mberengwa where he severely assaulted her in their presence before setting the homestead on fire and disappearing with her in the middle of July.
A police manhunt failed to apprehend Chihora as he managed to illegally cross into Botswana with Zhou where they were nabbed at a business centre close to the border and detained for two days at the Selibe Phikwe Prison two weeks later.
They were deported to Zimbabwe, but Chihora fled and reportedly returned to Botswana fearing arrest. Zhou’s mother Tinaye told Southern Eye that Chihora had sent numerous text messages using a local mobile network threatening to strike again and vowing that someone had to die for him to be appeased.
“Ensure you’re guarded by the army and police because I haven’t finished my mission of killing one of you,” one of the text messages Chihora sent to Tinaye, reads.
Tinaye said they were now living in fear because ever since they reported Chihora to the police, no cop had set foot at their homestead in Ruvabvu.
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“Our fear is that ever since we made a report to police in Mberengwa and Zvishavane, they never bothered to attend to the scene or show concern,” she said.
Zhou, who is still recovering from injuries sustained during her kidnap ordeal, said they have had sleepless nights from the day they started receiving Chihora’s threatening messages.
“We cannot even sleep with the thought that he is now in the country and that police are showing a lack of interest in the matter,” she said.
“Our lives are now at stake. If he was capable of committing all he did, there is nothing that could stop him striking again.” Chief Mudavanhu said he had asked some of his aides to assist in apprehending the culprit by any means if he ventured into areas under his jurisdiction.
“The situation is very stressful, but I have informed all my aides and other villagers to be on high alert and ready to make a citizen arrest if he sets foot here,” he said.
The police said they were not aware that Chihora had returned to Zimbabwe and promised to intensify investigations into the matter and apprehend him.
“We weren’t aware that he is back, but the police will intensify operations to arrest him for the alleged kidnappings, assault, robbery and rape charges,” a police detective, who declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media, said.
