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Beitbridge Bureau
The trial of a -26-year-old Beitbridge man accused of bedding several underage pupils from local secondary schools has been postponed to May 31.

Rayson Rushwaya is alleged to have impregnated more than six pupils from Vhembe and St Mary’s Secondary schools and is also facing charges of kidnapping and unlawful detention of two girls aged 17 years.

Through his lawyer, Mr Reason Mutimba of Nyikadzino, Simango and Associates, Rushwaya denied charges of kidnapping and unlawful detention of the two girls against their parents’ will when he appeared before Beitbridge resident magistrate Miss Gloria Takundwa.

He was charged under Section 93 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.

He is also expected to appear in court on a separate charge of illegal possession of six carats of diamonds worth $2 000 recovered from the roof of his Toyota Mark X by police detectives from the Border Control and Minerals Unit.

Rushwaya, who is out of custody on $100 bail granted by the High Court in Bulawayo a fortnight ago, has completed serving a seven-day jail term after he was convicted of insulting a local journalist.

Prosecuting, Mr Lloyd Mupfungidza told the court that in October last year the accused proposed to one of the girls aged 17 and stayed with her as his girlfriend at house number 1738 in Dulibadzimu suburb.

He said the teenager’s parents tried to get her back but he was evasive until the end of November when he assaulted the girl and chased her away following an argument.

The prosecutor said in February this year, Rushwaya then courted another 17-year-old girl and took her to the same house against her parents’ will.

He said the matter was reported to police leading to Rushwaya’s arrest on April 20 when he went to court to attend trial for criminally insulting a journalist.

Rushwaya is also accused of sleeping with several other young school girls in the area.

It is understood that the Beitbridge community, led by former councillor and women’s rights activist, Miss Patricia Ndlovu, is working on a petition against Rushwaya soon to be handed over to the police.