Chirikeno
appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira last Friday, facing
charges of kidnapping or unlawful detention and having sexual intercourse with
a young person as defined in Section 93(1)(b) and Section 70 (1)(a) of the
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
He was not
asked to plead but only spoke to confirm his name, surname and the allegations
levelled against him.
The accused was
remanded in custody to 27 October for bail application. He was represented by
his lawyer, Mr Gary Sengweni, of Sengweni Legal Practice. The alleged
17-year-old victim cannot be named for ethical reasons.
The court heard
that on 20 September, Chirikeno reportedly kidnapped the girl and took her to
his home in Bulawayo’s Barham Green suburb.
Chirikeno
allegedly had sexual intercourse with the girl on several occasions knowing
that she has not yet reached 18 years, which is the age of consent.
The worried
mother reported the matter to the police and in a desperate attempt to locate
her daughter, she splashed her daughter’s pictures on social media, appealing
to anyone who might have information about her whereabouts to contact their
nearest police station.
Following the
appeal, one of Chirikeno’s neighbours stumbled on a picture of the missing girl
on Facebook and when she saw the girl at Chirikeno’s home she was quick to
identify her and swiftly reported the matter to the police last Wednesday,
leading to the arrest of the accused.
Siphiwe Mhlanga
represented the State. Chronicle
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