Eight Women Raped And Robbed In Harare After Getting Fake Job Offers
A man and woman from Harare appeared in court on Monday, March 24, for allegedly robbing and raping women who were looking for jobs.
The suspects, Aleck Kanyonzo (42) and Tendai Tabazha (42), faced multiple charges after eight women, aged 19 to 42, reported that they had been lured with promises of employment and then attacked.
The pair appeared before Harare Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, who advised them to seek bail at the High Court because the charges were serious. They will return to court on April 8 as the investigation continues.
It is alleged that Tabazha would approach women in public places, offering them jobs as housemaids or shop assistants. Once the women showed interest, she collected their contact details to arrange meetings.
Kanyonzo would then pick them up, pretending to take them to work. Instead, he would drive them to isolated areas near Lake Chivero farms, where he allegedly threatened them with a knife, raped them, and stole their belongings, including phones, clothes, and cash.
The pair reportedly targeted women between January 2024 and March 2025, attacking each victim on different days. The stolen items were given to Tabazha, who would sell them and share the money with Kanyonzo and another accomplice who is still at large.
They ran out of luck on March 20, 2025, after Tabazha approached a relative of a 23-year-old woman, offering a job as a shop assistant. Although the relative refused, they shared the victim’s contact information.
The next day, the victim met Tabazha at Machipisa Shopping Centre, where Kanyonzo took over, leading her onto a commuter bus.
Instead of taking her to a job, he took her to a secluded area, where he allegedly raped her three times at knifepoint and stole her phone and bag.
After the assault, the traumatised victim encountered some passersby who helped her track Kanyonzo. He was caught with her stolen phone and clothes.
More: The Herald
