A 36-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo’s Mpopoma suburb believed to be HIV positive allegedly raped his 15-year-old daughter twice after being told by a traditional healer that he would be healed.
The rape case has become the talk of the suburb. The man (name withheld to protect the girl) has allegedly fled to neighbouring South Africa. A close relative yesterday told Chronicle that the man visited an inyanga who advised him to have sex with a virgin.
“His wife is seriously ill and has since gone to live with her parents. The man is HIV positive and an unscrupulous healer told him this nonsense that has led him to committing this cultural taboo,” said the relative.
The relative said the man first raped his daughter on 9 November.
“The girl who is in Form Three normally lives with her grandmother. On the fateful day, she was at her father’s house. He lives in a four roomed house and one of the rooms is being rented by his younger brother. On 9 November, he forced himself on his daughter and her grandmother did not believe her when she reported the issue. The girl went on to tell her uncle who called some family members and they spoke to him about the issue the day after the rape,” said the relative.
The relative said the girl was advised to scream for help the next time it happened.
“On 11 November, he did it again. He came home late, switched off the lights and the television and went into the girl’s blankets and raped her. The girl screamed and banged her fists against the wall, thereby attracting her uncle’s attention. Her uncle rushed to the scene with his wife and almost caught him red handed,” said the relative.
The relative said a report was made to the police, but by the time police arrived, the man had disappeared.
A neighbour said the man has been spotted in South Africa.
“On Sunday, a rumour went around the suburb that he had committed suicide. The story is not true because I know the malayitsha who took him to Johannesburg on Wednesday. Infact several people have phoned confirming that he has been seen in Johannesburg,” said the neighbour who declined to be named.
Other neighbours said they were angry with what the man had done.
“We want to deal with the malayitsha, who took him to South Africa knowing very well that he had done such a despicable thing. I hope the police catch him soon, so that he can pay for the crime,” said one of the neighbours.
Contacted for comment, Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo confirmed the incident.
“We received a report in which a 36-year-old man from Mpopoma allegedly raped a minor aged 15 on 11 November. Investigations are still in progress and police are hunting for the man, who is still at large,” said Insp Moyo.
He declined to give further comment, saying it could affect investigations.