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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau

A 32-year-old Chivi man has been caged 24 years for waylaying and raping a Form 4 girl on her way to writing her final Ordinary Level examinations and attempting to kill her to destroy the evidence.

Francis Mureza of Macheka Village under Chief Madyangove, stabbed the 17-year-old girl several times on the head and neck with a knife before pounding her head with stones, leaving her unconscious.

Regional magistrate Mrs Judith Zuyu recently jailed Mureza after finding him guilty of rape and attempted murder.

Agreed facts are that on December 1, Mureza met the girl along a footpath in Madyangove while the latter was on her way to sit for her O’ Level exams.

He grabbed the girl and carried her to a bush thicket where he raped her once.

After raping her, he ordered her to remove her school uniform blouse and cover her face.

After removing her blouse, she stood up and fled.

However, Mureza gave chase and caught up with her, before tripping her to the ground.

He stabbed her with a knife several times before hitting her with stones, leaving her unconscious. Mureza then took away the complainant’s cellphone, black school shoes, pen and pencil and left.

The girl finally regained consciousness and alerted villagers and a report was made to police. The knife used to stab the complainant, her cellphone, shoes and pens were recovered from Mureza, leading to his arrest.

A medical examination corroborated that the complainant had been raped.

Mr Liberty Hove appeared for the State.