Female teacher robbed at knifepoint

A female teacher was robbed at knifepoint after an intruder allegedly broke into her bedroom at a teachers’ residence at Mleja Primary School, police have said. The incident occurred at around 3 am on 6 March while the teacher was asleep in her room within the school premises. According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the woman was awakened by suspicious noise coming from her window before realising that an unknown man had already entered her bedroom.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Chiratidzo Dube said the suspect demanded the teacher’s mobile phone. When she woke up and switched on the lights, she saw a male person who was not known to her already inside her bedroom,” said Insp Dube. Police say the suspect allegedly demanded the teacher’s phone, but she initially refused to hand it over.

“He demanded her cellphone and she refused to give him the cellphone. He slapped her once on the face and threatened to kill her with a knife. She still refused to surrender the phone and screamed in order to alert other teachers,” Insp Dube said.

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The suspect then allegedly assaulted her again before taking the phone by force. “She was slapped for the second time before the cellphone was forcibly taken from her. The unknown person, who was holding a knife, forced the complainant to give him the password and she complied,” she added.

Police said the commotion alerted other teachers who live at the institution. “At that moment there was commotion and other teachers woke up to check what was happening. Upon seeing these developments, the suspect ran out of the house and disappeared,” Insp Dube said. The teacher did not sustain visible injuries in the incident, police said.

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