Vusumuzi Dube
Caroline Mutsawu in Hwange
A 30-YEAR-OLD Gokwe man who was charged with two counts of rape was last Friday sentenced to 20-years in prison by a Hwange magistrate.
The accused will however, serve an effective 18 years after two years were conditionally suspended for five years.
The accused, who resides in Marigano village, Chief Jiri in Gokwe, was employed at Lusulu in Binga and he appeared before regional magistrate Mr Collet Ncube.
The state represented by prosecutor Mrs Charline Gorerino said that sometime in August this year, the man’s employers left him at their homestead with three of their grandchildren with the eldest being 16-years-old.
On 17 August around 7pm, the accused called his employer’s granddaughter who was in the kitchen and is in Grade Two. When she went to where he was, he grabbed her, covered her mouth and dragged her to the bathroom were he raped her once.
He instructed the minor not to tell anyone about the incident. However, one of the children had seen him raping her and kept quiet. The complainant is said to have reported the incident to the 16-year-old daughter but she did not take it seriously.
The next day at about 10am the accused called the minor from the kitchen again and dragged her to the bathroom where he raped her. The complainant reported to the 16-year-old girl again and the witness in the previous case confirmed seeing the accused raping the complainant.
The children divulged the information to their grandparents when they returned who then reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the accused.
@5_Shannico
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter