Man rapes granddaughter

A 76-YEAR-OLD Harare man appeared in court yesterday for allegedly raping his 12-year-old granddaughter.

The man, who appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Josephine Sande, was remanded in custody to August 24 this year.

The prosecutor Ms Linda Gadzikwa alleged that in the morning of July 24 this year, the man’s wife went to the market, leaving him and their granddaughter at home.

The prosecutor alleged that the man lured his granddaughter to his bedroom and raped her.

It is alleged that when the girl was lured into the bedroom, her grandfather grabbed her hand and pushed her on the bed. It is further alleged that he removed his trousers and went on to remove his granddaughter’s pants and raped her.

It is also alleged that after the rape, he gave the girl 25 cents to buy her silence.

The girl informed her grandmother on the same day and she advised her not to tell anyone about the incident since she feared that her husband would be arrested.

The offence came to light on August 2,

this year when the school head received a message from an anonymous person stating that the 12-year-old girl had been sexually abused at home.

The court heard that on August 3 this year, the head tasked one of the teachers at the school to conduct a one-on-one counselling session with the girl.

During the session, the girl disclosed how she was sexually abused on July 24.

A complaint was lodged with the police, leading to the arrest of her grandfather.