Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
A NIGHT stroll turned into trauma for an 18-year-old Chipinge woman and a powerful reminder that being touchy-feely without consent is not flirting, it is a criminal offence.
Two men aged 22 and 24, according to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), were hanging around a tuckshop on 18 August 2025 when the teenager walked past.
They started hurling crude insults, mocking and teasing her. When she ignored them, they chased after her, tripped her to the ground, and one of them held her down while the other groped her breasts.
The shaken victim broke free and ran to a nearby homestead for help.
The two were later arrested and hauled before the Chipinge Magistrates’ Court, where they were convicted of indecent assault, a serious crime under Zimbabwean law. They were sentenced to 12 months in prison, with four months suspended on condition of good behaviour, and the remaining eight months converted to 208 hours of community service.
The NPAZ condemned the act and used the case to warn communities that touching someone without their consent, even if it is “just a grope,” is a sexual crime.
“The criminal justice system takes all sexual offences seriously. Communities are warned to be on the lookout for sexual predators,” read the NPAZ statement.
Many people still treat unwanted touching, groping or fondling as a joke or harmless fun, especially when it happens in social spots like tuckshops or bars. But the law is clear: it is indecent assault, and it carries jail time.
No one, man or woman, should ever be touched, grabbed or fondled without their consent. What some call “play” leaves victims scarred for life.
The NPAZ urged communities to speak out and report offenders.
