Chief Musarurwa born Enos Masakwa wept in court as his attempted rape trial against a 14-year-old girl entered its second day on Friday last week.
Tears ran down the traditional leader’s cheeks and he rubbed them off using his hands as a young brother to the complainant, a little boy gave evidence in court.
Provincial Magistrate Batanai Madzingira postponed the case to 31 January 2022.
The boy told the court that he saw Chief’s Musarurwa official vehicle parked at a secluded place near his parents’ home on the day the alleged rape attempt took place.
During cross-examination, the chief’s lawyer, Norman Mugiya, argued that the statement the complainant gave to the Police was different from the one given to Probation Officer Darlington Chigweshe and the court respectively.
Chigweshe, however, said that such was normal with children and in particular when they give evidence in the presence of the accused due to intimidation and fear.
The complainant’s father told the court that Chief Musarurwa gave him US$10 as an apology for fondling his daughter but the evidence was dismissed by the court.
Chief Musarurwa is facing two counts of attempted rape. In the first incident which occurred in September 2020, the minor said she went to fetch water from a borehole near Musarurwa’s homestead when the chief lured her to his place.
The traditional leader allegedly took the girl into a corridor in his house where he fondled her breasts, caressed her v*gina and kissed her. He then allowed her to go.
In the second incident that allegedly took place on 9 August 2021, Chief Musarurwa visited the juvenile at her place of residence and found her in the company of her parents.
He reportedly managed to persuade the girl to get into his official car and then drove off.
Musarurwa allegedly parked his car and fondled the complainant’s breasts, caressed her v*gina and kissed her for about ten minutes before letting her go.
The girl reportedly went home crying and told her mother about the incident. The case was later reported at Chivhu ZRP on 25 August 2021.
Corence Chimbadzwa represented the State.