Hwange – A chilling tale of betrayal and lula lula abuse unfolded in the Hwange Magistrates’ Court this week, as a 49-year-old woman from Binga faced serious charges.
The accused, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim, is charged with rape or alternatively, procuring as defined in Section 83 of the Criminal Law [Codification and Reform] Act, Chapter 9:23.
The allegations against the woman are deeply disturbing. It is alleged that in August 2018, she took her own juvenile sister to Gwanda under the false pretense of sending her to school.
However, the sister, who is the complainant in this case, never attended school. Instead, she was left in the care of her sister’s husband.
The complainant’s harrowing ordeal began when her sister left for Binga in October 2018, leaving her alone with her sister’s husband. The husband, it is alleged, then revealed a shocking truth to the complainant. He claimed that his wife had cheated on him and, as a form of compensation, had agreed to give her sister to him.
From October 2018 to November 2018, the accused’s husband allegedly subjected the complainant to repeated sexual assaults, without her consent. The accused, upon her return to Gwanda, did nothing to stop the abuse.
In fact, it is alleged that she even witnessed the continued lula lula assaults and provided the complainant with a mysterious red concoction to drink after each encounter.
The abuse continued for years, with the complainant trapped in a nightmare. In August 2021, she attempted to escape but was caught and brought back. The accused’s husband threatened to kill her if she tried to flee again.
Finally, in August 2021, she managed to escape once more and informed her parents of the horrific abuse she had endured. Sadly, her parents did not take any action.
It was only on the 17th of June 2024, after years of suffering in silence, that the complainant finally reported the abuse to the police in Bulawayo.
The accused, who appeared in court this week, was remanded in custody until the 4th of October 2024.
