A MEMBER of a local musical group who raped a 13-year-old girl was last week sentenced to an effective six-year jail term.
Paradzai Mandimu (23) a guitarist with Marko Sibanda junior’s Insiza Brothers Band, was convicted of rape by Harare regional magistrate Mr Peter Kumbawa after a full trial.
The group, which is based in Karoi, had a contract with a certain promoter to hold shows in Harare and stayed in Waterfalls under the care of Elizabeth George, a bartender with a local bar.
George would lure underage girls from her neighbourhood, which she would “supply” to the band members and get paid in return. Mr Kumbawa sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment before suspending half of the sentence for five years on condition Mandimu does not commit a similar offence within that period.
In passing sentence, Mr Kumbawa said rape was a very serious offence, which called for a custodial sentence. He said George needed to be investigated for her role in procuring the under age girls. Prosecutor Mr Michael Reza proved that in June 2009, George called the Form 1 pupil to her homestead on the pretext she wanted to play a game of cards with her.
When she got there, George was already playing with her son and Mandimu joined in.
George and her son excused themselves, leaving the girl with Mandimu continuing with the game. Mandimu suddenly stood up and grabbed the girl from behind. He dragged her into the bedroom, forced her to the ground on top of a blanket which George had already spread. She tried to scream for help but Mandimu gagged her mouth with his hand before raping her once. A month later, the girl’s parents noticed changes on her and they quizzed her but she did not reveal anything. They took her to the police and again she refused to open up and the police took her to a local hospital for examination. The doctor confirmed that she had been sexually abused. The police officers again quizzed her and later she narrated her ordeal to them. – CR.

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