A MAN who raped and robbed two women at Centenary Park in Bulawayo after pretending to be a police officer has been sentenced to an effective 44 years in prison.

Ekem Ncube, 39, from Mahatshula suburb, raped the two women, one of them a Form Three pupil, in a space of three days in February.

Bulawayo magistrate Mark Dzira yesterday sentenced Ncube to 40 years in jail for two counts of rape and four years in prison for two counts of robbery.

“After assessing the callous way in which you committed the offences, I’ve been forced to give you the maximum sentence possible. You deserve the 44 years and nothing will be suspended,” said Dzira.

He said Ncube was a wicked beast who soiled the name of the police by impersonating them to commit crime.

The magistrate said peace loving residents would now be able to enjoy the serenity of the scenic public park, which Ncube had turned into a terror zone.

Prosecuting, Tinashe Dzipe said on February 6 at around 7PM, a Form Three pupil was at Centenary Park with two friends when Ncube approached them and introduced himself as a police officer.

“He showed the teenagers a photo on his cellphone of him dressed in police uniform and told them they were under arrest for loitering in the park. Ncube purported to escort them to Bulawayo Central Police Station but they never reached their destination,” said Dzipe.

“While on the way, he dismissed the girl’s friends and took her deep into a bushy area around the park where he threatened to stab the girl. He then ordered her to remove all her clothes and lie on the ground.”

Ncube allegedly raped the girl once and took her laptop, a pair of headphones and two phones and went away.

The girl reported the matter to the police.

After two days, Ncube allegedly followed a woman who was walking from the park until she boarded a kombi.

“Ncube boarded the same kombi and threatened to arrest her for indecent exposure in the park saying she was doing ‘things’ in public. He then led the woman out of the kombi claiming she had to go to the Bulawayo City Council offices to explain her case,” Dzipe said.

When they reached a bushy area behind the Amphitheatre, Ncube allegedly threatened to kill the woman and raped her before robbing her of a tablet.

He was arrested on February 15. Bongani Ndlovu, source-Chronicle