Zimbabwe: Karoi Magistrate Throws Child Trafficker in Custody

A woman, who allegedly forced seven Karoi girls into prostitution after luring them on the pretext she would offer them jobs at a clothing boutique, has been remanded in custody after appearing before a local magistrate.

Ivy Nyashanu (28) of Zengeza in Chitungwiza appeared before Karoi magistrate, Moreblessing Makati, facing kidnapping charges, and others of contravening the Children’s Act.

She recruited the minors under the guise that she would offer them jobs in a boutique in Harare.

The presiding magistrate remanded Nyashanu in custody to June 3 for routine remand.

The court heard that on May 13, 2022, Nyashanu phoned a 14-year-old juvenile and informed her that she was scouting for women willing to work in a boutique.

The juvenile, without suspecting anything sinister, then briefed her three friends aged between 15 and 16 about Nyashanu’s job offer.

The accused pestered the juvenile, asking her to come to her house with her friends as job vacancies were still open.

The four juveniles then boarded a truck in Karoi and proceeded to Zengeza 2, Chitungwiza as directed by Nyashanu.

At around 10:30pm, on the same date, the four juveniles arrived at Puma Service Station in Zengeza, Chitungwiza, where they were picked by the suspect, who took them to her house.

On May 14, around 7pm, Nyashanu took the girls to Chikwanha Business Centre, where they got into a night club.

She told them that they were going to make money from men in the bar, by having sexual intercourse with them.

She had conversations with different men who were in the pub and forced the juveniles to go with ‘clients’ to a nearby lodge, where they had sex with them.

The following day the girls proceeded to Nyashanu’s place, where she told them to make money by working as prostitutes.

On the same day, one of the juveniles called her friend aged 15 and told her Nyashanu was organising some jobs for them.

This prompted her to team up with another girl aged 13 and two others, and boarded a truck and proceeded to Chitungwiza where, upon arrival, they were directed to Nyashanu’s house.

The court heard that Nyashanu went to organise men who sexually abused the juveniles on different occasions and in turn, the clients paid her “fixer fees.”

Nyashanu destroyed SIM cards of the juveniles, fearing they could be traced.

On May 23, accused person told the captives that she was taking them for a fishing camp in Kariba and later to Zambia.

This did not go down well with three juveniles, who realised Nyashanu had duped them by offering non-existent jobs.

The trio asked for a phone from a stranger, before informing their parents of their whereabouts and asked for bus fare to return home.

One of the juveniles called her mother, who then sent bus fare through mobile money to a line of a good Samaritan.

The trio boarded a minibus and returned to Karoi.

Upon arrival at their homes, they narrated what transpired before alerting the police.

Detectives proceeded to Chitungwiza, where they rescued the four remaining victims before arresting Nyashanu.

Progress Maponde prosecuted the matter.

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