Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
A 41 year old man from Kezi in Matobo District has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for repeatedly raping his 14 year old stepdaughter.
The man, from Sontala Village, whose identity cannot be disclosed to protect the complainant, was convicted on three counts of rape by Gwanda regional magistrate, Ms Sithembiso Ndebele.
In passing sentence, Ms Ndebele condemned the accused’s conduct, saying he had violated the trust placed in him as a guardian.
“What is aggravating is that the accused was expected to assume a fatherly role to the complainant and protect her instead of harming her. The complainant’s mother trusted him and would leave the complainant and her siblings under his custody,” she said.
Prosecuting, Mr Ngonidzashe Shumba told the court that the accused raped the complainant on three occasions between 2024 and 2025.
“Sometime in September 2024, the complainant entered her bedroom in the afternoon to rest, leaving her siblings and the accused outside. The accused immediately followed the complainant into the bedroom and closed the door,” he said.
The court heard that upon entering the room, the accused ordered the complainant to remove her clothes and lie on the bed, which she did.
“The accused person then raped the complainant, after which he threatened to kill her if she revealed what had transpired before he left the room,” he said.
Mr Shumba said a month later, the accused sent the complainant to collect his shoes, which were in the bedroom, he later followed her inside and closed the door.
The court heard that the accused raped the complainant again and threatened to kill her if she reported the matter.
On October 26 last year, the accused called the complainant to the bedroom under the guise of asking for her help to look for something.
“When the complainant entered the bedroom, the accused closed the door and raped her.
He threatened to kill the complainant if she revealed the matter to anyone,” said Mr Shumba.
The following day, the complainant took advantage of her stepfather’s absence and told her mother what had happened.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to investigations and the arrest of the accused. —@DubeMatutu
