Happymore Chidziva Arrested on Rape Charges

Happymore Chidziva, a prominent member of the Citizens Coalition for Change and the legislator for Glenview North, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with rape. The arrest was confirmed by the victim’s attorney, Webster Jiti.

Chidziva, who is related to the alleged victim through marriage, stands accused of enticing the teenager with gifts before committing multiple acts of rape.

The allegations came to light following a letter from Jiti to the police on September 20. In the letter, Jiti expressed concern over the delays in apprehending Chidziva, urging law enforcement to detain him while investigations were ongoing.

“Our client is worried about the delays in apprehending the accused person. Accordingly, we kindly request your office to detain him pending the completion of investigations,” Jiti wrote to the Police Victim Friendly Unit at Harare Central.

Following this correspondence, Jiti announced that police had confirmed Chidziva’s arrest, stating he would appear in court on Wednesday for an initial hearing.

“The ZRP has advised me that they have managed to apprehend Chidziva. The matter will go to court on Wednesday for initial remand,” Jiti said.

At the time of writing, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) had not officially verified Chidziva’s arrest.

Reports from ZimLive indicate that the victim’s family initially filed a missing person report at Budiriro police station, claiming that Chidziva was hiding her.

This led to the opening of a rape case at Harare Central police station. A family spokesperson alleged that Chidziva was in a sexual relationship with the minor, who has been missing for nearly two weeks.

Sources have indicated that Chidziva had offered to assist the girl in finding a job, raising further concerns within the community.