If the compound word ‘shamelessness’ was a person, it certainly could have been 28-year-old Lyton Mlilo of Phikelela Village in the Theleka area of Filabusi, Matabeleland South province, who allegedly raped a 73-year-old woman.
Appearing before Gwanda regional magistrate Sibonginkosi Mkandla, Mlilo pleaded not guilty to the rape charges being levelled against him.
He was remanded in custody to Friday for judgement.
“On 25 February at around 2AM the complainant was sleeping alone in her bedroom hut when she was awakened by the noise of someone opening her door. She quickly switched on her torch and saw that it was the accused person,” said Khumbulani Nyoni, who prosecuted.
“Mlilo approached the complainant and ordered her to switch off the torch and demanded to have sexual intercourse with her. The complainant ordered Mlilo to leave but he refused and went on to rape her,” he said.
The court also heard that when the sexually assaulted septuagenarian tried to scream out for possible help, Mlilo strangled her in order to stop her from making noise.
After he had raped her, Nyoni said the complainant managed to push the accused person aside and she escaped and called out for help.
Seeing that he was up to the wrath of impending mob justice, Mlilo reportedly fled from the scene.
The court also heard that the two neighbours arrived at the complainant’s homestead and they tried to track the accused person but they failed.
The matter was then reported to the police resulting in Mlilo’s arrest.
However, Mlilo denied the allegations in his defence and also said he never went to the homestead of the elderly complainant.
Mlilo accuses the police who arrested him of further assaulting him which made him to admit committing the offence.
“I was surprised when the police confronted me and accused me of raping the complainant. When I told them that I didn’t know what they were talking about they assaulted me and forced me to admit to the allegations,” said Mlilo.
state media
Additional Reporting: Zwnews
