Makoni said that The Standard newspaper, the Attorney General’s Office and the police are all accomplices in the bid to cover up the case.
“Information coming from our investigations clearly show a journalist from The Standard newspaper (name supplied) was there at Highlands police station in August 2010 when the child gave a statement and he was privy to all medical and police reports,” said Makoni. “We are shocked to learn The Standard newspaper could expose Dr Munyaradzi Kereke this late when the child has been harassed and violated.”
She said, it took the 11-year-old girl three months to leave her house after the attack.
“The journalist could have helped the girl by linking her with other organizations that help children. To think that a paper like The Standard swept this case under the carpet and only exposed it when they are in a legal row with Dr Munyaradzi Kereke needs to be explored. Under the Criminal Codification Law, anyone who knows about the rape of a minor and does not report is considered an accomplice,” she said.
Makoni demanded that the authorities in Zimbabwe arrest all of those responsible for the cover up of the offence.
“My office will keep exposing rape cases of minors without fear or favour and we have a network that gets to every case, whether high profile or not. High profile cases that do not get to be prosecuted pose a serious danger to other such cases. The whole aim of bringing Dr Munyradzi Kereke and his accomplices to book is to show that our society will not tolerate the rape of children,” said Makoni.
Post published in: News