Online Reporter
Awoman from Esigodini who cheated on her husband arranged for him to rape her 17-year-old daughter to appease him.
The couple, whose names are withheld for ethical reasons, was each sentenced to 17 years in prison for the heinous offence.
They pleaded not guilty when they appeared before Gwanda regional magistrate Sithembiso Ndebele but were convicted due to overwhelming evidence.
Prosecutor Ngonidzashe Shumba said the second accused person, who is the mother of the complainant, gave permission to her co-accused, who is her daughter’s stepfather, to rape the accuser.
The court heard that on March 31, 2025, around 7pm, the accused persons and the complainant, who was visiting them, were at home.
The couple had an argument over infidelity.
After the altercation, the mother asked the stepfather to have sexual intercourse with her daughter as appeasement.
The stepfather then dragged the complainant into the kitchen, locked her inside and raped her.
The matter came to light after the complainant’s grandmother enquired about her delayed menstrual cycle, prompting the victim to reveal the abuse.
A police report was subsequently filed, leading to the couples’ arrest.
In a separate incident, a 46-year-old Gwanda man was jailed for raping his daughter aged 10.
The man, whose identity is also withheld for ethical reasons, pleaded guilty and was convicted by Gwanda regional magistrate Sithembiso Ndebele.
He was duly slapped with an effective 17-year jail term.
It was the State’s case that the accused committed the crime after his wife left the children in his custody to visit relatives.
On July 11, 2026, the complainant went to sleep in the accused’s bedroom with her younger sibling, during which time the father sexually assaulted her.
The abuse continued until July 15, 2026.
The victim only reported the ordeal to her mother upon her return, which led to the man’s arrest. — Matabeleland South Bureau
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Corpse traps Bulawayo family inside home
A Bulawayo family endured an almost six-hour nightmare after a dead man at their gate “prevented” them from leaving their home on August 12.
The incident, which occurred in Gwabalanda, near J Temba shops, has become the talk of the suburb.
According to Wellington Mubengeranwa (50), one of his children opened the gate around 6am to go to work and stumbled on the lifeless body of a stranger.
Spooked by the grim discovery, the girl retreated into the house and notified others.
“The rest of the family stayed inside. Everyone was afraid to leave the house . . . ,” he said.
The family, he added, immediately called the police.
By 11am, the deceased’s body had not yet been collected.
Residents gathered at the scene as homicide detectives scoured the area for clues.
It appeared the deceased had crawled to the gate to seek assistance.
Some residents told our news crew that the man had been seen drinking at a local pub around 7 the previous night.
“He asked me where he could find kombis to Emakhandeni,” said a resident who declined to be named.
Speaking at the scene, Gwabalanda Masingcwabane Association chairperson Moses Thwala said the police had taken
an inordinately long time to collect the body.
“It is taboo in our culture for a body to lie so long in the open where even children can see it,” he said.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the incident, stating: “The now-deceased was wearing a brown pair of shorts, a black T-shirt, a black jacket and black boots.
“He had some bruises on the forehead and on both knees, and appeared to be aged between 30 and 40 years.”
She added: “His body was conveyed to the United Bulawayo Hospitals mortuary awaiting post-mortem.”
Inspector Msebele appealed to members of the public with a missing relative matching the description to contact ZRP (Zimbabwe Republic Police) Luveve on 0292 520 801-3 or visit the nearest police station or United Bulawayo Hospitals mortuary to identify the body.
“We appreciate members of the public in reporting matters.
“As the police, we advise members of the public to be patient as investigations start from the scene and other experts are called to gather evidence.” — Bulawayo Bureau
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Makokoba teen raped in bizarre exorcism ritual
A Makokoba man who used a bizarre “evil spirits” story to lure a 12-year-old girl into his bedroom before raping her has been jailed for 17 years.
The 39-year-old man was convicted at the Tredgold Magistrates’ Court for raping the minor.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the shocking incident happened on August 2, around 3.30pm, after the girl was sent to the local shops by her grandmother.
The man, however, lured her to his house by claiming she was being followed by evil spirits, which were responsible for her poor performance at school.
The court heard that he instructed her to go into his bedroom and wash her face three times to remove the alleged bad luck.
The terrified girl followed his instructions. The man then ordered her to strip and lie on his bed before raping her, claiming that sexual intercourse was necessary to drive away the evil spirits.
He instructed the individual to maintain strict confidentiality, noting that disclosure would inevitably compromise the efficacy of the recovery process.
Afterwards, he told the girl to keep the incident a secret, warning that disclosure would reverse the healing.
However, the victim broke her silence the very next day.
Struggling to sleep, she finally opened up to her grandmother.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to the man’s arrest and eventual conviction. — Bulawayo Bureau
