18-year-old teenager arrested after trying to rape a 28-year-old woman in a bushy area

A TEENAGER from Inyathi allegedly pounced on a 28-year-old woman in a bushy path and attempted to rape her as she walked home from the shops.

Handsome Khabo (18) of Lukala Village appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Mark Dzira facing a charge of attempted rape. He was granted bail and will return to court on 28 November after State witnesses failed to show up.

According to the State, represented by Jethro Mada, trouble started on 18 July around 6.30PM when the woman was sent by her husband to buy fish at Lukala Business Centre.

After buying the fish, she headed home but soon realised she was being followed.

“When she entered a small path, the accused approached her, took out his manhood and tried to force her to touch it, but she refused,” said Mada.

The court heard that Khabo allegedly pushed the complainant to the ground and climbed on top of her.

“They wrestled until the accused managed to pull her undergarment down to knee level. She kept her legs tightly shut, preventing penetration,” he said.

Realising he had failed, the teen reportedly fled, bizarrely taking the woman’s white sunhat with him.