Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku, [email protected]
THE mood in the courtroom became tense and distressing on Friday as an 81-year-old, frail-looking grandmother broke down while recounting how her 21-year-old neighbour allegedly entered her room and forced her to remove her clothes before sexually attacking her multiple times.
Gift Ncube (21), from Hope Fountain on the outskirts of Bulawayo, appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube facing two counts of rape. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
However, at the end of the trial, he was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment.
In sentencing him, the magistrate said the offender committed the crime under aggravating circumstances, having forcefully entered the grandmother’s room while she was asleep and tied her before sexually assaulting her.
“The grandmother was staying alone. The offender gained entry into her bedroom hut and threatened to kill her if she ever screamed. After that, he forcefully removed her clothes and sexually attacked her. The age difference between the complainant and the offender is huge. The grandmother was vulnerable as she stayed alone. The crime was committed in aggravating circumstances. Therefore, the offender deserves a custodial sentence,” said Mr Ncube.
Prosecutor Ms Mufaro Ndirayire told the court that on February 15, 2026, shortly after 3AM, the complainant was asleep in her house when she was awakened by the accused, who had gained entry to her room.
“The offender ordered the complainant to remove her clothes and grabbed her by the neck before strangling her while threatening to kill her if she screamed. The accused person then removed his clothes and sexually attacked her before falling asleep,” said Ms Ndirayire.
She later managed to escape and alerted her neighbours about the ordeal. They rushed to her homestead, where they found the accused still asleep and naked, and apprehended him.
The complainant was taken to the hospital for medical attention, and a medical report confirming she had been sexually violated was produced in court.
