A 27-year-old man from Mbembesi, Matabeleland North province, faces rape charges after he allegedly refused to pay a sex worker US$5 for her services.
Gracious Lamula pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Dambudzo Malunga on Thursday.
Lamula is alleged to have raped a 47-year-old woman after he refused to pay for sex services.
The magistrate remanded him in custody to today.
In his defence, Lamula told the court that he had hired the sex worker for US$5.
"The complaint and I agreed to have sex together and I was going to pay her US$5. After our encounter, she asked for another US$5 which I promised to give her the next day and now she is accusing me of raping her,” said Lamula.
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The court was told that on May 8, the two were drinking beer together at Fingo Business Centre in Mbembesi.
They allegedly agreed to go to Lamula's residence for the night after a few drinks.
The court heard that he raped her along the way.