Online Reporter
Trish Mukwazo
A PERVY uncle who was sentenced to 15 years in jail for attempted rape tried to escape justice in the most dramatic way imaginable; by hurling himself from the third floor of the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court in a failed suicide stunt!
Monwabisi Mhilwane (38) was convicted of attempting to rape his 19-year-old cousin on several occasions at their rural home in Lortondale Village, Inyathi. Moments after Regional Magistrate Sibonginkosi Mnkandla handed down the sentence, the twisted uncle broke free from prison guards and took a flying leap over the balcony.
But karma struck back. He survived, landing in a bloody heap on the first floor while stunned court officials, prosecutors, and the public gasped in horror.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and ferried the battered would-be rapist to hospital under heavy guard. While his injuries are serious, he’s expected to survive and start his 15-year jail term as soon as he recovers.
According to State prosecutor Jethro Mada, Mhilwane had turned into a predator in his own family, stalking, groping, and terrorising his cousin, even threatening her in full view of other relatives.
He was caught attempting to rape her, and despite denying all the charges, the court found overwhelming evidence against him.
Magistrate Mnkandla slammed him for abusing his role as a guardian and targeting a vulnerable young woman who looked up to him.
“The complainant was young and defenceless. The accused showed no remorse. His actions were calculated and persistent,” she ruled.
The court heard that: in February, Mhilwane proposed love and asked for sex from the teen. She rejected him and told another cousin, who dismissed the issue. On 30 March, he followed her into her bedroom at night, groped her breasts, pushed her onto the bed, and tried to undress her before she screamed for help. A cousin rescued her. On 30 April, he trailed her into the bush and threw stones at her when she refused his sexual demands. That’s when she finally went to the police.
Now, Mhilwane lies shackled in a hospital bed—his leap of shame ending not in escape, but in even more infamy and disgrace.
