Harare – A 42-year-old man from Marimba has been arrested on suspicion of raping his friend’s wife. The incident allegedly occurred in the early hours of Sunday at the suspect’s residence.
Police have confirmed the arrest of Ernest Njazi following accusations that he was caught in the act of raping his friend’s 39-year-old wife in one of the spare bedrooms of his home.
According to Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, “Police arrested a Marimba man for raping his friend’s wife.”
The alleged rape came to light when the victim’s husband reportedly walked in on the scene. A confrontation ensued, during which the husband assaulted Njazi. The woman then claimed that she had been raped, prompting the arrest.
The events leading up to the alleged crime began on Saturday evening. Inspector Chakanza detailed the sequence of events: “Circumstances were that on Saturday around 5.30pm, the complainant and her husband were invited to the accused person’s residence for some beer and they agreed.”
The group, consisting of the complainant, her husband, Njazi, and Njazi’s wife, later proceeded to Kuwadzana 6 shops for further drinks. “At around 8pm, the complainant, her husband, the accused person and his wife proceeded to Kuwadzana 6 (shops) for a beer binge,” said Inspector Chakanza.
Returning to Njazi’s residence at approximately 1 am on Sunday, the complainant, who was reportedly intoxicated, was offered a room to sleep in by Njazi’s wife. “On Sunday around 1am, they all returned to the accused person’s residence. The complainant was drunk and was given a room to sleep by the accused person’s wife and she went to sleep.”
Njazi and the complainant’s husband remained in the sitting room, continuing to consume alcohol. “The accused person remained in the sitting room with the complainant’s husband whilst drinking some more beer. Later, the complainant’s husband fell asleep on the sofa.”
It is alleged that Njazi then took advantage of the situation. “The accused person took advantage that his friend had slept, and he crept inside the room where the complainant was sleeping.”
The complainant’s husband was later awakened by noises emanating from the room where his wife was sleeping. Upon investigating, he allegedly discovered Njazi in the act, leading to a physical altercation.
The commotion alerted Njazi’s wife and children, who intervened to de-escalate the situation. The police were subsequently called, and Njazi was taken into custody.