ZIMBABWE – Two heavily pregnant women were raped by unknown assailants at Maphisa District Hospital in Zimbabwe, Matabeleland South Province in the early hours of Wednesday last week.
The women who were sleeping in the maternity waiting home had only locked the doors and left the windows open.
The suspects allegedly used the window to sneak into the maternity home where three pregnant women were sleeping. The other woman who was in the room managed to escape.
Matabeleland South acting provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Thabani Mkhwananzi confirmed the incident. He said:
I can confirm that we recorded a rape case that occurred in Maphisa District Hospital where rapists unlawfully entered a room where three pregnant women who were waiting for their delivery day were sleeping and raped two women and the other one managed to escape.
We have not yet made an arrest connected to that case and investigations are still underway.
Matabeleland South Provincial Medical Director Dr Rudo Chikodzore said cases of women being raped at provincial hospital maternity homes have been increasing during the past few months and they were now planning on tightening security at the hospital. She said:
The raping of women has been an issue at the growth point and around the district so there has been a multi-sectoral response to GBV and sexual assault involving the police and all stakeholders in the Rural District Council.
Police are doing patrols around the growth point. We have also educated the community to avoid travelling at night to avoid being mugged or raped.
We have intensified patrols by our guards and we plan to repair the vandalised perimeter fence, erect burglar bars, and screen doors in all departments.
The ministry has also installed a huge solar plant so we need to erect street lights within the institution as well.
Women who are at least eight months pregnant in rural areas move into waiting homes in hospitals as they await delivery.
This is meant to ensure timely medical care as transportation might be an issue on the day of delivery from some remote areas.
