HARARE - A lawyer representing three women suspected of “raping” male hitchhikers yesterday slammed State prosecutors for taking an inordinately long time to bring the case to trial.

The trial, which was scheduled to take off yesterday, was again postponed, with the State failing to bring its witnesses to court.

This prompted provincial magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabini to postpone the trial to February 3, 2012.

Dumisani Mthombeni, the lawyer representing Sophie Tendai Ngwenya and Netsai Monica Nhokwara’s defence counsel told the magistrate that they intended to approach the High Court for refusal of further remand if the state fails to complete its case at the next sitting.

“We intend to go to the High Court because we have realised that we are sleeping with a dishonest partner (state),” said Mthombeni.

Ngwenya, 26, Nhokwara, 24, and Rosemary Chakwizira, 28, are facing aggravated indecent assault charges.

They are jointly charged with a 24-year-old man, Thulani Ngwenya.

Jarabini ordered the state to produce the docket within a week and to have the state witnesses ready in time for the trial on February 3.

The four are out on $300 bail each, which was granted by Harare magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi on October 27.

The women are suspected to be part of a syndicate of female “rapists” who have gone on a rampage along the country’s major highways, allegedly “raping” men at gunpoint.

The three were arrested at an accident scene on the 43-kilometre peg along the Gweru-Lower Gweru road, on October 8, 2011.

It is alleged on realising that their “valuable loot” was in the car that Ngwenya was driving, the women rushed to the scene intending to take it.

They were arrested as they were trying to retrieve a plastic bag full of sperm-filled condoms at the accident scene.

The State claims 17 men positively identified them at an ID parade. The 17 men include a soldier and policemen.