BY SILISIWE MABALEKA
A man claiming to be a cross-border transporter, locally known as umalayitsha, allegedly raped 15 Bulawayo girls after luring them to his hideout under the pretext that he wanted to give them groceries sent by their relatives in South Africa.
Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed that police have since launched a manhunt for the suspected serial rapist.
“The man is armed with relevant information which makes it undoubted to the victims as his stories would be convincing,” Msebele said.
“He has been telling his victims that there are groceries that had been sent via him from South Africa.
“He would claim his vehicle had a breakdown at Gwabalanda, and then ask the victims to accompany him to the spot to collect the groceries.
“He then rapes the victims along the way after threatening to stab them.”
Msebele said most of the victims were aged between 16 and 21.
“Our advice to those in diaspora is that they must send groceries and luggage through proper channels to avoid such cases,” she added
Omalayitsha are a preferred couriers for many Zimbabweans based in South Africa.