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Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau—

A Chinhoyi widow and her 26-year-old son have been sentenced to 420 hours of community service for engaging in an incestuous relationship. Joyce Nhevera of Madzudzo Village under Chief Magonde and her son Eddington Tutuma, started having the relationship between November 2 and 17, 2016.The affair came to light when they were found in a compromising position at Kenzamba Shopping Centre leading to their arrest recently.

Chinhoyi magistrate Miss Brenda Dhliwayo, sentenced them to 18 months in prison before setting aside six months on condition that they do not commit any offence of a sexual nature.

In passing the sentence, Miss Dhliwayo said a custodial sentence would be too harsh before commuting the remaining 12 months to community service. Nhevera will serve her 420 hours community service at Kenzamba Primary School, while Tutuma will serve at Gudubu Primary School in Mhangura.

Sending you to jail will be too harsh so a community service will meet the cause of justice. This relationship is a taboo in our culture and a strong message has to be sent out there, she said.

Miss Dhliwayo said setting them apart to serve their sentences will give them space to reform.

They were facing charges of having sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship in contravention of Section 75 (2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

They pleaded guilty, which also worked in their favour when the magistrate was considering an appropriate sentence. Allegations against the two were that Tutuma, who was staying in Mhangura, moved to live with his mother in Kenzamba.

It is while they were staying together that a sexual relationship blossomed into a fully fledged affair that got people thinking that they were a couple.

Investigations established that the two had sexual encounters on numerous occasions in Nhevera’s hut and Tutuma’s kitchen, which is also his bedroom.

They also had trysts at Kenzamba Business Centre.