By TellZim Reporter
A local secondary school head is in the eye of a storm after he admitted that he was dating a juvenile but was waiting for the girl to turn 18 before he could get intimate with her.
This came out in court during a trial where the 52 year old school head (who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity) was acquitted of three counts of rape by Masvingo Magistrate Innocent Bepura on November 11.
Passing judgement, the magistrate said there were high chances of the rape case being fabricated as the case was reported many months after the alleged crime was commited.
The state’s case as presented by Liberty Hove was that sometime in November 2023, the head asked the girl’s parents if he could take her in as a maid as she had finished writing her Ordinary Level exams.
The girl was to work at his rural home in return for him paying her school fees as she wanted to further her studies.
The court heard that in the same month (November 2023), he allegedly raped the girl, claiming that he was exorcising evil spirits which were on her and asked her not to tell anyone about the incident.
On the second count, it was alleged that during the month of December the same year one afternoon, the accused approached the complainant who was in a kitchen, making fire and told her that he wanted to brew beer for her cleansing ceremony.
He allegedly told her that he had to have sexual intercourse with her for the second time, claiming the sexual act was to work hand-in-hand with the beer ceremony to enable complete exorcism to take place, to which the complainant complied.
On the third count in the same month, it was alleged that the accused went into the kitchen where the complainant was and smeared some tobacco snuff on her face and she reportedly started feeling dizzy. The accused allegedly raped the complainant and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
In January 2024, the complainant reportedly left for Domboshava where her aunt had invited her to help with some errands at home. In July, the aunt then allegedly started noticing some changes on her body, to which she quizzed her and she is said to have revealed the alleged rape.
The matter was reported to police, leading to the school head’s arrest and appearance in court facing rape charges, which he pleaded not guilty to, although he admitted that they were dating.
Through his lawyer Philip Shumba of Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners, the school head also argued that complainant was dismissed from work by the accused’s wife after she became suspicious of the affair.
He further argued in his defence that after the dismissal from employment, she then laid false allegations against him, just to spite him.
In acquitting him, the magistrate said the delay in reporting further complicated the case, which made the school head’s point strong, that the girl was fabricating the rape case.
