Zimpapers Logo

Midlands Reporter
A Lower Gweru man has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for raping his 14-year-old cousin.

The convict (24) from Tununu Village under chief Bunina in lower Gweru appeared before Gweru regional magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa, who convicted him after a full trial and slapped him with a 15-year prison term.

Two years were conditionally suspended. It was the State’s case that in December 2017 on a date unknown to the prosecutor, the convict was alone with the complainant.

He called her to his bedroom and when she complied he locked the door and raped her. The complainant, the court heard, tried to scream, but the accused covered her mouth.

He threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the sexual assault.

Sometime in January this year, the complainant’s grandmother noticed signs of pregnancy.

She took her to Lower Gweru Clinic where she requested a pregnancy test, which came out positive.

The complainant revealed that she had been raped by the accused.

Mr Kelvin Guveya appeared for the State.

Meanwhile, a 46-year-old Chirumhanzu man has been arrested for allegedly raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

The man from Chikutubwe Village pleaded not guilty when he appeared before Gweru magistrate Mildred Matuvi and was remanded in custody to September 24. In his defence, the accused claimed there was bad blood between him and his stepdaughter and that she had framed him because he had reprimanded her over mischievous actions which were affecting her school work.

It is the State’s case that sometime this year the accused accompanied his stepdaughter to a nearby bush to fetch firewood.

It is alleged that during this expedition, he tripped the complainant to the ground and he wore a condom before raping her once. It is alleged that the accused threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident.