Tablet sells off Kwekwe serial rapist, robber

Zim Now Writer

A tablet stolen from one of his victims has led to the arrest of a Kwekwe serial rapist who robbed some of his victims of their property.

Gokwe magistrate Lungile Ncube, who has of late had a torrid time dealing with a queer category of criminals, sentenced 42-year-old Barami Vasco of 65/2 Mbizo in Kwekwe to 32 years in jail for prowling on women in the mining town, raping and robbing some of them of their valuables.

He reportedly targeted school going girls and other women.

Among his victims is a Grade Seven and Form Three pupil as well as two Kwekwe Polytechnic students and elderly women.

He was facing eleven counts of rape and robbery and was found guilty on six counts, three rape and three counts of robbery.

Eleven years of the sentence were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

Vasco committed the crimes between February and September last year.

For the State, Tinashe Wazvaremhaka said the first involved a 13-year-old victim. He told the court that on February 19, 2021 at around 4pm, Vasco spotted women who were gathering firewood in a bushy area near Lancashire Steel company.

“The accused person removed his clothes and started crawling towards the women while naked so that he could not be spotted. One of the women however spotted him and raised an alarm and the women took to their heels towards Bessemer Road and the accused person pursued them,” the court heard. He tripped the teenage girl and she fell to the ground.

The accused person reportedly raped the victim while she screamed for help.

On another count, Vasco spotted a woman who was walking alone along a footpath near Kwekwe Polytechnic on 29 July, 2021 at around 6pm.

He grabbed the woman and removed her jacket which he used to cover her face with and dragged her into a nearby bush.

After raping her several times, he took her Samsung tablet and disappeared.

On 5 August, 2021 at around 11am, Vasco pounced on a woman who was walking alone along a footpath towards Mbizo. He produced a machete before forcibly dragging her into the bush and raping her.

He stole her cellphone and US$10. He also used the same modus operandi to rape and rob a Kwekwe Polytechnic student and stole a cellphone and cash.

On 29 September, 2021 at around noon, Vasco met a Harare-based woman who was asking for directions and offered to accompany her.

He took her along a footpath and while in the middle of a bush, he produced an okapi knife to threaten her, before raping and robbing her of US$300 and a tablet before vanishing.

Police investigations led to the recovery of the tablet from one Tinashe Katerere who indicated that he had bought it from Vasco, leading to his arrest.