The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
A RUSAPE family is in the eye of child sexual abuse storm after luring an underage girl (14) who had allegedly spent four nights with their son (20) into becoming his wife in a bid to arm-twist her family against reporting the offence to the police.
However, it has emerged that the girl who is ‘married’ to Tapiwa Chitsumba is being ill-treated by her in-laws.
The girl who was doing Form One at Chiundu High School’s parents separated and she was her granny’s custody since she was eight months.
Tapiwa’s parents allegedly took her as their daughter-in-law only to cool off swirling tempers and save their son from possible arrest for violating the minor.
The two families reportedly resolved the matter by using an outdated cultural practice which dictates that when a girl returns home late at night, or sleeps out, she should elope to the person she was with.
Police only became aware of the matter when contacted for a comment by this publication.
Rusape District police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Muzondiwa Clean said they had no record of such a case, but later engaged the Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) to pursue the matter.
The minor’s granny confirmed the case, but was defensive.
“Who told you that? But why do people spread lies? I challenge you to come and talk to the girl and ask her if she was forced into marriage,” she said.
The granny denied marrying off the girl, insisting that matter was dealt with culturally.
She accused Tapiwa of deflowering the girl after she had disappeared for four days.
She said she interrogated and performed virginity tests on her upon her return home which confirmed that she had been deflowered. Instead of reporting the abuse to the police, the girl was asked to pack all her belongings and elope to Tapiwa as his wife.
“She went to her boyfriend’s place. I do not know if they are staying as husband and wife. I regularly conducted virginity tests on her. Early this month, she disappeared for four days and upon her return, I tested her and discovered that she had lost her virginity.
“We engaged a local girl rights activist (name withheld) whom we thought would help us solve this matter, but she chickened out. We have no problem involving the police, as you are suggesting.
“She is 14, but if it was your daughter who was not home for four days what would you have done? Our culture dictates that when a girl returns home late, or worse if she sleeps out, her parents should send her back to the man she was with. That is what we did after I tested her and discovered that she had lost her virginity.
“It is Tapiwa who deflowered her and there was no way we could have addressed it other than letting him take her as his wife. He held my granddaughter hostage for those nights and you wanted me to accept her in that condition while he goes scot free?” said the granny.
On why she forced the girl back to her boyfriend instead of reporting the abuse to police, she said: “I may have erred there, but he deflowered her. He should account for it. It is Tapiwa’s parents who came here to collect her. I had asked them to bring their son so that we interrogate the two together, but they left him behind.
“They said they wanted to take their daughter-in-law home. They are the ones who took her from here.
“We did not send her packing and it is almost three weeks now. She never told me of the abuse she is allegedly suffering at the hands of her in-laws. What I know is they are staying peacefully,” she said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Chitsumbas were fruitless as nobody had their contact details. Chief Tandi was not picking calls when contacted for comment on Wednesday.
