Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
A 32-year-old man from Victoria Falls has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after the Hwange Regional Court convicted him of raping two juvenile sisters aged nine and ten.
Vusumuzi Mthupha was found guilty on two counts of rape by Regional Magistrate Shepherd Munjanja, who said the offences were aggravated by the victims’ very young ages and the accused’s deliberate targeting of children on their way to school.
During the trial, prosecutor Jamesina Erica Makanza told the court that the attacks occurred in September 2025 at Mthupha’s homestead, where he lured both girls on separate days under the pretence of giving them baobab fruits.
On an unknown date in early September, the nine-year-old complainant and her sibling were walking to school when Mthupha called them to his homestead. He instructed the younger child to enter his bedroom hut. After she complied, he closed the door, undressed her and raped her.
The matter only surfaced weeks later when a neighbour informed the girl’s grandmother that she had previously seen the child at the accused’s hut. The minor was questioned and disclosed the assault. A medical examination later confirmed penetration. On 25 September 2025, the accused used the same tactic to lure the older sister, who was on her way to school alone. Once inside the bedroom hut, he shut the door, pushed her onto the bed and raped her.
The girl was seen leaving the homestead by a neighbour who became suspicious and asked what she had been doing there. The child immediately revealed the assault, and the neighbour alerted her father. A police report was made, leading to Mthupha’s arrest.
Both minors were medically examined, and the reports were tendered as evidence.
Munjanja sentenced Mthupha to 20 years on each count, saying the court had a duty to impose stiff penalties for crimes that violate children’s rights and dignity.
Mthupha will serve an effective 40-year term.
