Zimbabwean Police have arrested the second suspect who allegedly raped a 41-year-old South African woman on a visit in that country on 20 August.

The two suspects had offered the woman a lift when they also allegedly robbed her of a cell phone, R115 and 8.5 million Zimbabwean dollars along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo highway in Zimbabwe. The incident occurred at around 19:00, about 15km outside Beitbridge town

The police spokesman for Matabeleland South province, Asst Insp Trust Ndlovu, said the suspect was arrested on Monday evening at around 18:00, following a public tip-off. "We arrested the last of the two suspects, who had raped a South African woman in August, following a tip-off from members of the public," Ndlovu said.

He said the suspect was arrested in the Garanyemba area while the first one was arrested in Masvingo town in Zimbabwe about three weeks ago.

"The victim was traveling with a female relative driving from Bulawayo, where they had visited their in-laws and were on their way back to South Africa. However, along the way their car developed a puncture and she then boarded another car and went to Beitbridge town to have the tyre fixed," Ndlovu said.

On returning to the point where the car had been left, she got a lift in the suspects’ car. The vehicle had four people on board, two of them women.

After traveling for about 10km, the driver then dropped off the other two female passengers and proceeded with the South African woman and the other male passenger.

The driver then traveled another 5km before branching off the highway and parking the car at a bushy area under the guise of intending to re-fuel it.

However, soon after parking the car, the driver, together with the passenger, ordered the complainant to disembark. They then robbed her of her cell phone, R115 and Z$8.5 million.

The two suspects then ordered her to remove her clothes, after which they took turns to rape her before tying her to a tree, using her G-string. They sped off at high speed, leaving their victim stranded.

The woman managed to untie herself, however, and to get a lift from a Good Samaritan who took her to the Beitbridge Police Station where she reported the matter.

The first suspect, Innocent Gumbo (34) of Masvingo, has since appeared in court on rape charges.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded in custody to 31 October by Beitbridge magistrate, Mrs Mercy Rukoni-Siti. The other suspect is expected to appear in court soon.