By Panashe Karidzagundi.
A 34-year-old Beitbridge man accused of raping a 15-year-old girl on two occasions and having sexual intercourse with a minor, has been acquitted by the Beitbridge Regional Court after the complainant recanted her allegations during trial.
Andrew Chafa appeared before Regional Magistrate Charity Maphosa on Monday this week, facing three charges arising from incidents allegedly committed at Bitcon Quarters in Beitbridge between April and May 2026.
Prosecutor Olivia Chamutinya alleged that Chafa, who is the younger brother of the complainant’s boyfriend, unlawfully had sexual intercourse with the juvenile on two separate occasions without her consent.
He also faced a charge of having sexual intercourse with a minor.
However, while testifying in court, the complainant denied ever having sexual intercourse with Chafa and claimed that she had falsely reported the matter to police.
“I do not know whom he raped. My father told me to report that he raped me. Andrew never touched me and never raped me,” she told the court.
The minor further admitted that she had lied to investigators and asked for forgiveness.
“I noticed that there is nowhere I will go with the lies I told the police. I just want to ask for forgiveness because I did it out of lack of knowledge,” she said.
When asked directly by Chafa whether she had ever slept with Chafa, she responded: “No, you never slept with me.”
In his defence, Chafa denied all allegations and told the court that the accusations stemmed from family disputes involving the complainant’s father and disagreements over money following the complainant’s relationship with his brother.
He testified that he had merely reprimanded the complainant over her behaviour and had encouraged his brother to return her to her family because she was underage.
The complainant’s father, Titos Kokerayi, also testified.
He told the court that his daughter had approached him and alleged that Chafa had been forcing himself on her.
He said he subsequently accompanied her to the police station where a report was made.
However, after his daughter retracted the allegations, Kokerayi acknowledged that there was nothing he could do if the court found that no offence had been committed.
Following the evidence, the court ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
In delivering judgment, the court noted that the complainant had denied ever having sexual intercourse with Chafa and had withdrawn the allegations made against him.
Chafa was found not guilty on all counts and was acquitted.