THE sister of a 14-year-old girl who claims she was raped by Kwekwe Urban MP Blessing Chebundo has told a Gweru court she never had a love affair with the politician.

The 21-year-old university student, a former child MP, denied defence claims that she was pursuing a vendetta against married Chebundo after their affair ended when he “discovered that she had several boyfriends”.

Chebundo has also claimed the sister was influencing his eight months pregnant accuser to lay charges at the bidding of unnamed “political adversaries”.

But appearing as a state witness on day two of the trial on Tuesday, the alleged rape victim’s sister said: "I was never in a relationship with Blessing Chebundo, no politician ever visited our home after a report was made to the police. He is building the case in order to evade the rape case."

The sister’s testimony followed a dramatic opening day in court which saw Chebundo’s accuser produce a torn pair of panties which she said she kept following the January 5 attack near the Sebakwe River Bridge.

The teenager said the MP - who allegedly took her virginity - repeatedly threatened her with death if she ever reported the matter to anyone.

She narrated in graphic detail how Chebundo, a senior member of the MDC party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, forced himself on her and recounted the terror of her violent first sexual encounter.

“I had never had sex before … After raping me, he constantly threatened to kill me if I told any of my family members or the police. I was terrified such that at some point I contemplated suicide, but a (mysterious) voice told me not to do it,” the girl testified.

The teenager said the politician had given her a lift to Harare to see her older sister who was not feeling well. But on their return on the same day, Chebundo stopped his parliament-issued 4x4 vehicle near Sebakwe River along the Harare-Kwekwe highway and branched off the road.

He went over to the passenger side and grabbed her, tore her panties and raped her once, the girl claimed, adding that she fell pregnant as a result of the rape.

The girl is a former Form 2 pupil who has since dropped out of school due to pregnancy.

On Tuesday, prosecutor Emmanuel Muchenga led the cross-examination of the teenager’s sister who appeared at ease in the dock and occasionally smiled at familiar faces in the courtroom.

The sister, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the alleged rape victim, said Chebundo became known to the family in 2003 – the same year she became a Junior Member of Parliament for Kwekwe.

Under cross examination from lead defence counsel Advocate Happias Zhou -- instructed by Reginald Chidawanyika of Chitere, Chidawanyika and Partners and Michael Jumo of Jumo, Mashoko and Partners -- she confirmed she continued working in the constituency offices with Chebundo in 2007 after her term of office had terminated in 2004.

Asked why she continued to work with the MP and even attending workshops outside Kwekwe when her term of office had expired, she replied that she had "unfinished projects" and no-one had been elected to replace her then.

"The reason why I continued is because I was pursuing unfinished projects. There were also no elections to replace me as junior MP."

When pressed whether she knew any other former child MPs who had attended workshops Chebundo, she said there were several of them but "only recalled Rumbidzai Jambwa."

The defence said the MP had bought the complainant's sister many gifts on several occasions when he travelled outside the country. He also claimed that at one time he sponsored her school trip to Botswana.

"I bought her gifts from South Africa, Senegal, Uganda and Botswana including two mobile phones and sponsored her trip to Botswana in 2008," the MP said in a written defence outline.

But the accuser’s sister denied any gifts came her way, insisting that there was only one occasion when Chebundo bought five boxes of pizza and brought them to university for her daughter, who was her friend. She got one of the pizzas.

"It's not true that he bought me gifts. I only recall once when he came to university visiting his daughter, who was my friend with five boxes of pizza and I got one,” she said.

"As for the trip to Botswana, half of the money I got from ASEC and the other half from my friend Justice. Blessing (Chebundo) was only going to provide the US dollars and my friend Justice would repay him."

When Advocate Zhou asked her how she got a scholarship to study at Wits University in South Africa at the end of June, soon after rape allegations had been brought against the MP, she said she had passed the interview.

"Every year there is an international human rights exchange programme and they come to Zimbabwe to conduct interviews. I was successful in my interviews and that is how I got the scholarship,” she fired back.

Also taking the witness stand was the girls’ father who appeared composed, but looked occasionally irritated.

He said the MP phoned him and sent text messages before sending his lawyer Tapera Sengweni and Kwekwe Mayor, Shadreck Tobaiwa, requesting for an out of court settlement.

"He phoned me and then texted me at 09.30am on the 20th of May on mobile number 0912278*** requesting for an out of court settlement."

The defence team argued that Chebundo – who insists he was not aware of the full nature of the allegations at the time -- sent the text messages believing that the issue pertained to the accuser’s sister.

Advocate Zhou asked the girls’ father: “Did Sengweni and Tobaiwa mention any of your daughters by name?”

Looking very emotional, the girls’ father said the issue of Sengweni and Tobaiwa "was done with at the courts and I see no reason why it should continue being mentioned now."

When pressed further, and after being evasive, he told the court Sengweni and Tobaiwa had specifically stated the issue involved the alleged rape victim.

Tobaiwa and Sengweni were acquitted on August 24 on charges of obstructing the course of justice in the same case over the contact made with the girl’s father. The court ruled then that since no bribe had been offered, the charges could not stick.

The girl’s father also refuted defence claims that he had discussed with Chebundo an incident when he was summoned by the provincial Zanu PF leadership and asked why his daughter was working with a member of the opposition.

"That is not true,” he said. “In fact I went to the Ministry of Youth and Gender to find out how my daughter worked as Child MP. I did not want her to get involved in political affairs since I wanted her to just concentrate on her studies."