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Mashudu Mambo
A 43-YEAR-OLD man from Makokoba suburb in Bulawayo who made a 38-year-old commercial sex worker lie down on a thorny bush before raping her has been slapped with an effective 18-year jail term.
Butholezwe Ncube appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Sibonginkosi Mnkandla facing a charge of rape.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge but was convicted after a full trial.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and two years were suspended for five years on the condition of good behaviour.
While handing down the sentence, the magistrate said rape was a crime of violence rather than passion.
“The accused promised to pay the victim and along the way, he raped her in a thorny bush. The court takes into account that rape causes some psychological effects and the victim said that she now lives in fear of meeting the same perpetrators.
“What further aggravates the offense is that the accused person refused to use protection and thus exposed the victim to sexually transmitted diseases,” said Mnkandla.
The court heard that on 13 December 2022, during the morning and at a bushy area in Makokoba, the victim was on her way home when she met Ncube.
He then proposed love to her and she ignored him.
Ncube then forced himself on the victim without protection.
The victim managed to positively identify Ncube as they live in the same area. The matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of Ncube.
A medical report was produced in court as evidence.
Online Reporter