By Takudziridzwa Nyama
The Beitbridge Regional Court has convicted a 31 year old man of raping a 14 year old girl multiple times. The accused was found guilty of three counts of rape, which occurred on two separate occasions at his homestead.
The offender was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the first two counts of rape (treated as one for sentencing) and 20 years imprisonment for the third count, with the sentences running) concurrently. He will serve an effective 20 years in prison.
Circumstances are that the complainant, a 14 year old girl who does not attend school, was at Mabidi cattle sales market grounds. The accused approached her and offered her a job as a domestic worker for his mother.
He insisted on taking her to his mother’s village that same day, despite the victim’s refusal. They arrived at the accused’s homestead at around 2100 hours that evening and the offender then took the complainant to his bedroom and forced her to lie in his blankets where he raped her twice.
The following morning, the victim awoke to find the offender had left the room. She went to his mother’s homestead and began performing chores.
The offender later arrived and instructed his mother to tell anyone who asked that the victim was her domestic worker.
That night, the victim went to sleep at the offender’s mother’s homestead. The offender snuck into the room where she was sleeping, woke her, and demanded she go with him to his homestead. When she refused, he lifted her and carried her there. Once at his homestead, he raped her again.
The matter came to light when the victim’s grandmother found her at the homestead of the offender’s mother. She narrated her ordeal, eventuallly leading to the arrest of the accused person.