A 20-YEAR-OLD Woodville gardener in Bulawayo is facing three counts of rape after he was accused of having sexual intercourse with a minor (11) on Tuesday. PRESTIGE GAMA OWN CORRESPONDENT
This came to light when Edson Mwindi appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Sibongile Msipa, where he pleaded guilty to the charges and was remanded in custody to November 28.
The magistrate condemned the act and expressed dismay at Mwindi, saying such a disgrace should not be accepted into the community.
“People do not want to learn, even if they know how bad rape is,” she said.
On the first count, Mwindi is said to have taken the girl (name withheld) into a cart which was in the yard and forcibly raped her.
On the second count, two days after the first incident, he allegedly dragged the minor into her grandfather’s garage and promised her sweets after school before raping her.
It is alleged that on the last count, two weeks after his second offence, around 11pm, he sneaked into the girl’s bedroom naked and raped her without protection.
According to the State, the grandfather noticed that his granddaughter was behaving in a strange manner and asked her. The girl revealed that she had been abused by the gardener.
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“I was very angry and disappointed when my granddaughter told me what had been happening behind my back,” he said.
“Instead of me committing an offence of battering the boy, I became weak and wept bitterly before reporting the matter to police.”
The police then arrested the gardener and referred the minor to hospital.
In a statement, the gardener told the court that he was not aware that what he was doing was a crime and begged the court to exercise leniency when passing judgment.
