Court Reporter
TWO of the three women accused of raping men in search of semen, will be back in court again next week after prostitution charges were levelled against them. Although charges of aggravated indecent assault against three sisters Sophie (26) and Netsai Nhokwara (24), Rosemary Chakwizira (28) and their male counterpart Thulani Ngwenya (24) were withdrawn before plea, Netsai and Rosemary will be charged with contravening Section 81(2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act which emanated from the dropped charges.
Netsai will be tried in Court 11 on May 10 while Rosemary will stand trial in Court 5 on May 16. Mr Kasema advised the court that Netsai and Rosemary will be served with necessary court papers to enable them to prepare their defence.
Mr Kasema told presiding magistrate Ms Fadzai Mthombeni that the State was withdrawing the charges of aggravated indecent assault before plea and will proceed by way of summons when they are ready.
Asked by regional magistrate Ms Mthombeni why the State had decided to withdraw the charges, Mr Kasema said; “The results (DNA) are not conclusive to such an extent that we cannot prosecute on them at the moment.”
“Charges before you have been withdrawn before plea at the insistence of the State,” Ms Mthombeni said.
The four were arrested after an accident scene on the 43-kilometre peg along the Lower Gweru Road on October 8, 2011. The car was being driven by Ngwenya and a plastic bag containing 31 used condoms with semen was recovered. It is alleged that the three women rushed to the accident scene intending to hide the plastic.
They, however, ran out of luck as police had already discovered the ‘loot’ during a random search of the vehicle. According to the State, on various occasions the women would use different tricks to lure men before spraying them with unknown chemicals. The court heard how the women would take their victims to secluded places where they would force them to take a concoction to stimulate sexual desire. It is alleged the women would take turns to have sexual intercourse with the victims before leaving them unconscious. At least 17 men, including a soldier and policemen, were allegedly sexually abused.