BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
A 37-YEAR-OLD suspected Harare serial rapist, who pounced on several unsuspecting female vendors, appeared in court yesterday.
Farai Denga, who is of no fixed abode, would allegedly approach the vendors pretending as if he wanted to buy their wares before asking them to accompany him to his residence, but would rape and rob them along the way.
He appeared before magistrate Barbara Mateko, who remanded him in custody to April 30.
Denga is charged with five counts of rape and six counts of robbery and his victims, who are not named for legal reasons, were aged 19, 21, 23, 24, 25 and 28.
It is the State’s case that on April 6 last year at around 3pm, the first complainant was selling popcorns in Tynwald, Harare, when she met Denga, who pretended as if he was a potential customer.
The State alleges that Denga asked the complainant to accompany him to his home, and after walking for about 100 metres, he grabbed the complainant by the neck and raped her.
He also allegedly robbed her of $7,50. The court heard that Denga used an okapi knife to threaten the vendor.
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The State also alleges that on November 19 last year at around 3pm, the second complainant was selling sausages in Warren Park and was approached by Denga, who misrepresented that he wanted to buy all her sausages.
Denga allegedly then used the same modus operandi of asking his victim to accompany him, this time to a nearby construction site, where he claimed to have left his money.
The State said when Denga and the victim were at a bushy area near Nkwisi Gardens in Tynwald South, he grabbed the complainant, pulled out a kitchen knife and ordered her to comply with his orders.
He raped her and took away cash amounting to $37 as well as all her sausages worth $50.
The State further alleges that on January 22 this year, at around 4pm, Denga met the third complainant, who was selling socks in Kuwadzana Extension and he misrepresented to her that he wanted to buy all of them for a school he claimed he was is operating in Glaudina.
Denga allegedly asked the complainant to accompany him to the school for payment.
It is alleged that while passing through a maize field, Denga grabbed the complainant by the neck and raped her once before robbing her of her socks worth $115.
Almost a month later, he robbed another complainant who was selling bananas at Caswell Meats in Willowvale.
The accused allegedly told her that he wanted to buy bananas for his friend, who was working at a construction site and asked her to accompany him.
Along the way, he allegedly produced a knife and raped her before robbing her of her bananas and mobile phone worth $58.
Some of his other victims were fish and doughnuts vendors.
Denga was arrested over the weekend and was positively linked to the offences.
