Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
A HEARTLESS Mutare woman, Pelagia Zindiye (30), has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking a 14-year-old girl from her rural home in Buhera to Mutare where she forced her into prostitution.
Zindiye deceived the minor, claiming she needed companionship, but instead took her to Mutare for prostitution.
When she appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Estere Chiwasa last Friday, Zindiye faced charges of human trafficking.
She was found guilty of human trafficking as defined in Section 3 (1) (a)(1) D as read with 3 (2) (a) of the Trafficking in Person Act (Chapter 9:25).
Zindiye is from Basvi Village, under Chief Chimombe in Buhera, and she is not employed, while the complainant, a female juvenile aged 14 years, is from Makamure Village under Chief Chitsunge, in Buhera.
The victim was supposed to be doing Grade Seven at a primary school in Buhera. The accused person and complainant are not related.
Prosecuting, Ms Perseverance Musuko, said Zindiye deceived the teenager into believing that she was taking her for companionship.
However, she wilfully and voluntarily took her to Mutare where she surrendered her to Steward Gororo for prostitution.
Ms Musuko said on June 29, Zindiye approached the complainant to accompany her to Mutare to collect her property.
On June 30, the complainant sneaked from home and went to Mutare with the accused person. They arrived at around 11am, and met Gororo at Mutare Old Rank.
The court heard that Zindiye introduced Gororo to the complainant, saying he was a truck driver and was looking for a girl to marry.
Ms Musuko said Gororo gave Zindiye US$40 as a token of appreciation, and left the unsuspecting complainant with Gororo.
The court also heard that Gororo took the complainant to a lodge where he took her into a room and locked her inside.
Ms Musuko said Gororo slept with the complainant once without her consent. After the act, Gororo and the complainant went out of the room, and met Zindiye, who was waiting for the complainant.
The court also heard that Gororo told Zindiye that he slept with the complainant.
Zindiye warned the complainant not to tell anyone as doing so would expose her.
Gororo is on the run, and has since been declared a fugitive from justice. Police are appealing to members of the public with information about the fugitive’s whereabouts to contact their nearest police station.
Gororo is wanted for rape as defined in Section 65 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
