A 26-year-old man from Magunje in Mashonaland West Province has been arrested for the alleged rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl. According to a police report seen by Pindula News, the victim was discovered naked in a bushy location. The report does not mention how the authorities connected the suspect to this terrible crime. Read the report:
On 28/10/23 Police in Magunje arrested Shingai Makura (26) in connection with a case of murder in which a minor (6) was found lying naked between two big rocks in a bushy area in Mavhondo Village, Chief Dandawa, Magunje. The suspect allegedly raped the victim before he hit her with a stone on the head in a bid to conceal the rape case.
The rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl has sparked outrage and concern about the decay of society. Some people are urging authorities not to abolish the death penalty as punishment for such heinous crimes.
According to the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), the country is facing alarming rates of sexual violence, with at least 22 women being raped daily and one in three girls experiencing rape or sexual assault before the age of 18. Many cases go unreported due to religious and cultural factors, as perpetrators are often protected within family units. The issue of child marriages has also revealed that victims are often subjected to rape by their own close family members.