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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
A Harare man who raped his friend’s sister in his car after offering her a lift home on Christmas Day, will spend the next 11 years in jail. Davison Mutizwa (44) raped the 19-year-old woman in his vehicle while her two-year-old son watched. The woman reportedly sustained internal injuries in her privates and bled for two weeks, a medical report revealed.

The magistrate Ms Lucy Mungwari sentenced Mutizwa to 16 years in prison, but suspended five years on condition of good behaviour. Mutizwa will serve 11 effective years. There was drama in court when Mutizwa’s mother wept uncontrollably soon after Ms Mungwari pronounced the sentence.

When Mutizwa was being led to the court’s holding cells by a prison guard, his mother stood up and raised her hands and wailed uncontrollably in disbelief.

“Maihwee. yohwee kani mwana wangu kani,” she wailed, much to the astonishment of the court and the gallery.

She had to be escorted out of the courtroom by a court orderly, as she was now disturbing the proceedings.

Ms Mungwari said a lengthy custodial sentence for Mutizwa would meet the justice of the offence, considering that he exposed the victim to sexually transmitted diseases. She said the court needed to send a strong message to would be offenders.

“The convicted person did not respect the woman’s rights and worse still he exposed three people to sexually transmitted diseases — that is his wife, the victim and her husband,” she said.

“You almost ruined her marriage and her wedding was cancelled due to your actions. It is now uncertain if the wedding will take place.”

In aggravation, the prosecutor Mr Ephraim Zinyandu urged the court to send Mutizwa to jail for a lengthy period.

Mr Zinyandu proved that on Christmas Day last year, the woman went to a Christmas party with her child in Old Tafara suburb. At around midnight, she decided to go back home to the nearby New Mabvuku suburb and was accompanied to the bus stop by her brother.

The victim’s brother flagged down Mutizwa’s vehicle after recognising him and he assured his sister that she would get home safely since he knew him.

Mutizwa drove to New Mabvuku and the woman gave him 25 cents which he said was not enough.

He then parked his vehicle and started demanding sexual intercourse as compensation for the other 25 cents, after telling her that the distance cost 50 cents. Mutizwa proceeded to rape the woman.