Residents and villagers in Plumtree and Mangwe, Matabeleland South, are now living in fear following reports of a serial rapist targeting women in the area.
The alleged perpetrator is said to be armed with a machete and has reportedly assaulted and raped women in Plumtree Town, Mpoengs, Khalanyoni, Brunapeg, Makwakwa, and other locations.
However, police in Matabeleland South said they were still conducting investigations into the matter.
In interviews with CITE, sources from Plumtree Town expressed concern over the escalating violence, saying the rapist has been brutalising and sexually assaulting women, causing widespread fear and unease within the community.
“Plumtree residents are living in fear of a rapist who is gruesomely beating women and raping them. He is a threat to the community and as residents of Plumtree we need answers as to why he is committing all these crimes but remains a free man,” said one of the disturbed sources.
Witnesses who alleged to have seen the rapist described him as a strong, dark-complexioned man.
Sources said in one harrowing incident in Makwakwa, the assailant reportedly attacked both an aunt and her niece, prompting the niece to flee naked and seek help.
“The rapist is terrorising women in Makwakwa. Last week, he raped an aunt and her niece, he started with the aunt and forced her niece to also lie down closer to them. When he moved to the aunt for the second time, the niece managed to escape naked and managed to scream for help,” said a worried source.
They said the rapist took the aunt’s phone and threatened to kill her.
Despite efforts by villagers from Makwakwa and Crossroads to track the perpetrator, he managed to evade capture as they lost his footprints.
Some sources believe the rapist may have originated from Ngwizi and previously lived in South Africa and Botswana, where he allegedly committed similar crimes.
“People claim that he once escaped to South Africa and Botswana where he also committed the same crimes,” said another worried source.
The communities are concerned about the safety of women and children, leading to increased vigilance and precautions within villages.
“Women and children are now accompanied by their brothers or husbands. They are no longer free to walk alone as this man is all over the place,” claimed a source.
Villagers said the police have appealed for anyone with information about the rapist to come forward.
Reached for a comment, Acting Matabeleland South Provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni said they cannot comment on the matter as investigations are ongoing.
