By Savious Madanhire and Buhle Mhlaulo
A Lower Gweru inmate finally tested freedom after languishing in remand prison for three years awaiting trial for a rape case he did not commit.
Shadreck Dube was finally exonerated of rape charges after spending three years at Whawha remand prison.
Regional Magistrate Christopher Maturure after a full trial ruled that Dube did not commit the alleged rape after evidence failed to pin him to the crime.
The state alleged that in 2021 Shadreck Dube was accused of raping Patience Mashoko (19) who was a juvenile at the time the offense was committed.
Circumstances were that on the 6th of February 2021 at around 2000 hours the Patience and her twin sister Petronella Mashoko ran away from their place of residence and started staying at Insukamini Township renting a room.
On the 14th day of March 2021, the two sisters were at Insukamini Business Center when Dube came and sat next to Patience and proposed love to her but she kept quiet.
She decided to go to Maboleni when Dube took her cell phone whilst she was trying to board a lift and allegedly pulled her out of the car and dragged her to Insukamini Dam.
At the dam, Dube raped her once without her consent.
After the sexual intercourse, she tried to escape but Dube caught up with her and was again raped.
The complainant later managed to escape and went to her boyfriend’s house where she slept and was later chased away by the boyfriend when he learned that she was raped by Shadreck Dube.
Patience later managed to escape and went to her boyfriend’s house where she slept.
On the 16th of March 2021, she left her boyfriend’s house after discovering she was raped by Dube.
She then went back to where she was staying with her sister and was told that her sister had been taken back home by their mother.
She then started roaming the streets, at around 1800 hours in a bid to kill herself on the road, she was seen by a villager Moert Mwindwa who took her to Insukamini Police Base where she was referred for medical examination and medical report was produced court as an exhibit.
In giving judgment, Regional Magistrate Christopher Maturure said after revisiting evidence produced in court and witness testimony it was revealed that Patience had fabricated the allegations against Dube.
The medical report also showed no signs of rape, although she was already sexually active at the tender age.
The case highlights the need for a fair and impartial justice system and also the importance of supporting those who have been wrongly accused.
