Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
A 72-YEAR-OLD Makoni grandpa was convicted and fined for indecently assaulting his 11-year-old neighbour.
Richard Madanhi, of Gandanzara Village, pleaded not guilty to indecent assault under Section 67(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23), after he was accused of fondling the chest of the Grade Six learner. Rusape provincial magistrate, Mr Tendai Mahwe, found Madanhi guilty, citing overwhelming evidence presented during proceedings. He sentenced the pensioner to pay a fine of US$150 or serve 30 days in prison.
An additional three-month custodial sentence was wholly suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence. Prosecutor, Ms Faith Mutukwa, said the victim, a Grade Six learner, was targeted by the elderly man in what the court described as a gross breach of trust.
“The complainant, an 11-year-old Grade Six learner at a local primary school, was walking home at around 5pm on February 13, 2026 when the accused, who was driving his cattle, stepped aside to let her pass, and remarked that she had grown well. As she tried to move past, the accused approached her, and fondled her right breast. She screamed and he released her. The complainant ran home and told her grandmother what had happened, before filing a report at ZRP Rusape Rural, which led to the accused’s arrest,” said Ms Mutukwa.
In an unrelated acase, a 24-year-old man from Nyahukwe Village, under Chief Makoni, was arrested for allegedly luring an underage girl to a lodge in Rusape and slept with her.
James Nyakwima appeared before Mr Mahwe charged with sexual intercourse with a minor contrary to Section 70 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23), after allegedly sleeping with a 15-year-old girl from the same village.
Nyakwima, who was unrepresented, pleaded not guilty, and Mr Mahwe adjourned the case to today (Friday) for trial.
Ms Mutukwa said the girl’s mother grew suspicious of the pair’s movements and questioned her daughter, who revealed the abuse.
“On a date unknown to the prosecutor, but in April 2025, during the day, Nyakwima proposed love to the complainant and she agreed. In March 2026, on an unknown date, the accused took the complainant to a lodge in Rusape, and booked a room before sexually abusing her. From then on, Nyakwima and the juvenile would meet in a bushy area in Nyahukwe, where they slept together on several occasions. The matter came to light when the complainant’s mother suspected an affair, and questioned her daughter, who admitted dating the accused. The mother took the complainant to the police to file a report. The complainant was referred to Rusape General Hospital for medical examination,” said Ms Mutukwa.
