A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl as she was going home after attending a New Year’s Eve party in Mlampapele Village, Plumtree.
The alleged rapist followed the girls who were coming from the party at around 1 AM and raped one of them. He had been at the same party.
The incident was confirmed by Matabeleland South Police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena. She said:
After attending a party where the accused was a patron, the complainant left the party going back home in the company of other children.
The accused then followed them and he raped the complainant. Fortunately, the accused was arrested soon after a police report was made.
Insp Mangema urged parents to take responsibility for their children by closely monitoring them always. She added:
We have been conducting crime awareness campaigns using loud hailers and influential local traditional leaders in a drive to curb crimes in the province but it seems as if people are not listening.
We urge members of the public to take responsibility for their children by monitoring wherever they are playing and they must never expose them to criminals.
In a related incident, Insp Mangena said a man believed to be aged 39 is on the run after raping a 13-year-old after being hired for a menial job by the victim’s grandmother at Sheet Farm in Gwanda on 1 January around 11 AM.