Woman helps hubby ‘rape niece (8) twice’
A WOMAN from Victoria Falls allegedly assisted her husband to rape her eight-year-old niece twice in the same night.
The woman, who was not named in court, allegedly ordered the juvenile to keep quiet and threatened her with unspecified action while her husband, Chidala Nyathi, abused her.
Nyathi, who resides in Chinotimba suburb and is a hotel room helper at Stanley and Livingstone in Victoria Falls, was arrested last week at his rural home just outside the resort town.
He was on leave after taking days off duty when he allegedly committed the offence last month.
Nyathi was not asked to plead to two counts of rape when he appeared before Hwange magistrate Mrs Portia Mhlanga-Moyo.
The magistrate remanded Nyathi in custody to next week Thursday.
For the state, Ms Loveness Maseko said Nyathi covered the complainant’s mouth with his hands so she could not scream.
“On an unknown date but in April this year, the complainant was asleep on the floor while the accused and his wife slept on the bed in the same bedroom hut. At around 11PM, the accused left the bed and raped the complainant once,” she said.
Ms Maseko said the juvenile tried to scream because of pain but Nyathi used his hands to cover her mouth.
It is at that moment that Nyathi’s wife, whose details were not given, ordered the girl to keep quiet. Nyathi’s wife is a sister to the complainant’s mother. “After a few hours, the accused once again disembarked from the bed and raped her again,” said the prosecutor.
The girl later told her mother about what had happened.
The mother reported the matter to the police leading to Nyathi’s arrest at his homestead where he had gone after taking days off duty.
The girl was referred to hospital for medical examination and a medical report showed that she had been raped.—@ncubeleon