Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu [email protected]
A 28-YEAR-OLD Gwanda man has been jailed 17 years for raping his 15-year-old cousin.
The accused from Ngwidzi area who cannot be named due to ethical reasons pleaded not guilty to rape charges but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence by Gwanda regional magistrate, Mrs Sithembiso Ndebele. He was sentenced to an effective 17 year jail term.
Prosecuting, Mr Ngonidzashe Shumba said the accused person raped the complainant on 12 October 2025 and was disrupted by the complainant’s mother who heard the complainant scream.
“On the 12 October 2025 at around 8PM the complainant was at home with her young sister in the kitchen while their mother had gone to a neighbour’s homestead.
“The accused person arrived and indicated that he had been sent by his grandmother to come to collect a bag of sugar beans from the complainant’s mother,” said Mr Shumba.
“The complainant and young sister indicated that the bag of sugar beans was in their mother’s bedroom. The accused person instructed the young sister to go and collect the torch and he instructed the complainant to help him to collect the bag of sugar beans from the bedroom.”
Mr Shumba said when they were in the bedroom the accused person grabbed the complainant, pushed her on the bed and raped her.
The complainant screamed for help and was heard by her mother who had returned.
Mr Shumba said the accused person stopped when he heard the complainant’s mother approaching. The complainant rushed to her mother and narrated what had happened.
Mr Shumba said the matter was reported to the police the following day leading to the arrest of the accused person.
In his defense the accused person denied having raped the complainant saying she was just bitter as he had reprimanded her for associating with different guys. The accused person said he also had an altercation with the complainant’s mother after he had told
her that her daughter was wayward as she was not reprimanding her.
In his submissions Mr Shumba said the defense of the accused person does not hold water. He said the evidence, which had been presented before the court indicates that the accused and the complainant had good relations as cousins.
“The said altercation between the complainant and accused person or the accused person and the complainant’s mother is difficult to pick. It remains unclear what would then be considered provocative to an extent of resulting in false rape allegations against the accused person,” he said.
“It is evidence on record that prior to this incident, the accused and the complainant had good relations as cousins.
“The complainant proved to be a credible witness, gave a clear narration on how she was raped. Defence counsel in cross examination tried to have the complainant twisted but she, however, stood by her version. The law is clear in that it is the duty of the State to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt not beyond a cast of doubt. It is our submission that with the evidence on record we have managed to prove our case beyond a reasonable doubt. All witnesses called were credible witnesses and the medical report cements their evidence,” he said.
-@DubeMatutu
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