Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
A 22-YEAR-OLD inmate at Khami Maximum Prison was yesterday sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison for sodomising a fellow prisoner.
Thabani Mhlanga from Esigodini in Umzingwane District is already serving a 15-year sentence for rape.
Western Commonage regional magistrate Mrs Sibongile Marondedze convicted Mhlanga of indecent assault and sentenced him to another 15 years in jail. Mhlanga will now serve a total of 30 years in prison.
The prosecutor, Ms Samantha Gubede, stated that the incident occurred earlier this year while Mhlanga and the complainant, a 24-year-old inmate, were sharing a cell.
On the night in question, Ms Gubede said, the complainant woke up to find Mhlanga sodomising him.
The complainant immediately confronted Mhlanga, who allegedly pleaded with him not to report the incident and offered an extra blanket as a bribe. However, the complainant reported the matter to prison authorities.
A formal police report was made, leading to Mhlanga’s arrest. The complainant was taken to hospital for medical examination, which confirmed the assault.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated matter, a 40-year-old Bulawayo man who raped his 16-year-old daughter while his 15-year-old younger brother watched was yesterday sentenced to an effective 20 years in jail by the same magistrate.
The man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the minor victim, was convicted of rape by Mrs Marondedze.
In passing sentence, the magistrate described the accused as a danger to society, emphasising that the court had a duty to protect vulnerable children from predators, especially those within the family.
“This sentence should serve as a strong message to fathers that their duty is to protect their children, not violate them,” said Mrs Marondedze.
Ms Gubede told the court that the incident occurred on the night of April 27. The complainant had just finished cooking and serving dinner when her father called her aside, pretending he wanted to speak with her.
“The accused told his daughter that she should not lose her virginity to a stranger, and claimed that he was the one who should take it,” she said.
That night, the man ordered his daughter to sleep on the floor in his bedroom while he slept on the bed.
In the middle of the night, he instructed her to join him in bed. When she refused, he forcibly pulled and raped her.
The accused’s younger brother was awakened by the girl’s screams and witnessed the incident.
The following morning, the girl narrated her ordeal to her grandfather, who reported the matter to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest.
The complainant was taken to hospital for a medical examination, which confirmed sexual abuse.
