Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya –Beitbridge Bureau
A 29 years old man from Khwalu 1 suburb (SDP) has been jailed by the Beitbridge Regional Court for 40 years after he was arrested for waylaying and raping a 13-year-old girl twice.
The sentence comes a few days after a 53-year-old cross border transporter was sent to prison for 36 years for raping his child for over three years until she fell pregnant as part of administering some money making rituals.
He also masterminded the illegal termination of the pregnancy to conceal the crime of rape.
In the latest case, Royal Moses Siziba is accused of having sexually abused the victim in October last year after waylaying her on her way to the local shops.
The accused pleaded not guilty to three charges of rape when he appeared before Mr Innocent Bepura and was convicted on two counts.
He was slapped with 20 years’ imprisonment for each count.
However, he will serve an effective 20 years since both counts will run concurrently.
Prosecuting, Mr Willbrought Muleya and Miss Tsitsi Mutukwa said sometime in October last year, the accused who was the neighbour to the victim, followed her when she had been sent to the shops at the Dulivhadzimu bus terminus by her mother.
Along the way, armed with a catapult, he waylaid her and pounced on the girl.
He then dragged her to the bush and raped her once and during the act, the man threatened her using the catapult if she resisted or screamed.
After raping her, Siziba also threatened to stab the girl in case she reported the matter.
The court further heard that in the same month of October, the man followed the girl as she went to the shops.
He used the same method to rape her for the second time.
On November 3, Siziba went to the complainant’s house and dragged the juvenile from her bedroom.
The complainant screamed as he was taking her to the back of the house, prompting her mother to investigate.
She then revealed to her mother that the man was in the habit of following her to the shops and fondling her breasts but did not talk about the rape for fear of being stabbed.
On the following day, the man came across the victim around 7PM and assaulted her with a whip in the head for walking at night and she ran and informed the mother who took her to the police.
The juvenile then narrated her ordeal at the hands of Siziba who was subsequently arrested. – Follow on X @tupeyo
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