A 36-year-old man from Mbare, Harare, is in remand prison after being arrested for raping a 16-year-old girl from Kuwadzana, who was then given to him as a wife to cover up the crime.
The marriage arrangement fell apart when her parents confronted Kudzai Masakadze, the man who had impregnated the girl after it was revealed that he was severely abusing her.
The girl recently gave birth to twin girls at Sally Mugabe Maternity Hospital, where she received numerous gifts from well-wishers.
Among the donors were representatives from Little Mr and Miss Africa Zimbabwe, led by their director, Shalom Ramunyenyiwa.
In an interview with H-Metro, Shalom urged parents and the community to continue safeguarding children. She said:
We are here to give hope to the lady. We encourage the community to continue protecting our children, supporting them, and giving them hope.
Masakadze, the man accused of impregnating the Form 4 student before marrying and subsequently abandoning her, was arrested this week.
In an interview with H-Metro, he admitted to impregnating the student, saying he negotiated with her parents to cover part of her Ordinary Level Examination fees.
He later abandoned her after her parents confronted him regarding allegations of physical abuse against their daughter.
The arrest of Masakadze was confirmed by Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Harare Province, on Tuesday, October 1. He said:
Police arrested a Mbare man for rape. His victim, a Form 4 student, is pregnant.
Masakadze has since appeared in court and was remanded in custody where he is facing rape charges.
More: Pindula News