Online Reporter
Peter Matika
A HWANGE man was caged for 19 years following a weird and terrifying sexual assault spree on his cousin-in-law.
The 39-year-old predator, whose name had not yet been released, turned Breamland Gardens into a nightmare zone as he twice slid under the woman’s mosquito net like a shadow in the night.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the first incident occurred on 31 August around 10 PM. The complainant was fast asleep, face down, when she suddenly felt someone clasping her from behind.
Startled, she woke up to find the intruder caressing her body. He bolted when confronted, but not before muttering a bizarre bribe… promising her “sugar beans” if she kept quiet.
Shaken, she told her husband, but instead of protecting her, he reportedly protected his younger brother. The silence only fuelled the offender’s confidence.
Two nights later, on 2 September at around 11 PM, the man struck again. This time he crept under the mosquito net, grabbed her hands and violated her, inserting his finger into her private parts.
Prosecutors said he only stopped when he realised she was menstruating. Immediately, panic hit him.
He begged for forgiveness… and yes, again offered beans. He even asked her to sweep away his footprints.
But the woman had reached her limit. She refused to be silenced and reported the matter straight to the police.
The Hwange Regional Court slapped him with 11 months for indecent assault and a staggering 18 years for aggravated indecent assault, bringing his total effective sentence to 19 years behind bars.
The NPAZ blasted the man’s conduct, warning communities that shielding abusers only worsens the terror.
“The courts will not treat sexual offenders with kid gloves. The sanctity of a woman’s body and the safety of her home must be respected. Family ties should never be used as a shield to silence victims of abuse,” the authority said.
They urged communities to break the culture of silence around gender-based violence, saying silence only feeds the monsters hiding in families.
