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Lovemore Kadzura Herald Correspondent
A Rusape man shocked the court on Monday when he told the presiding magistrate that he raped his biological daughter to save her from the avenging spirit of her mother, which was tormenting her.

The man (46) from village 17A Mugadza in Headlands, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his 13-year-old biological daughter, told Rusape regional magistrate, Mr Livingstone Chipadza, that his departed wife was haunting her daughter because her estate was still to be distributed.

The father, who was not represented and pleaded guilty to the offence, further said he was told that a spirit instructed him that the only available solution to save his daughter from being haunted was sleeping with her. Mr Chipadza sentenced the man to 18 years behind bars before setting aside three years on condition of good behaviour.

Rusape District prosecutor, Mr Tirivanhu Mutyasira, told the court that the father from 2015 to 2017 raped the complainant several times and the matter only came to light when police received a tip-off of the abuse.

“On a date unknown, but during the month of July 2017, the complainant revealed the case to her stepmother,” he said. “This was after the stepmother had asked her about the case when she heard rumours circulating in the village to that effect.

“On August 22, police in Headlands received a tip-off to that effect and carried out investigations, leading to the arrest of the accused.”