Vusumuzi Dube
Wilbrought Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
A 58-year-old man from Magwegwe North has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his eight-year-old niece over a period of two years.
The man, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Dambudzo Malunga facing charges of rape last week. He pleaded not guilty arguing that he never had sexual intercourse with the complainant but only rubbed his manhood on her breasts. However, he was found guilty after a full trial and slapped with a 20-year prison term. He will, however, serve 19 years after the court suspended one year of his sentence.
The State case as presented by the prosecutor, Ms Siphiwe Mhlanga, was that sometime in February the man called his eight-year-old niece to his bedroom at around 9pm where he started molesting the minor. He however, ran out of luck as he was caught by his nephew who reported him to a police officer who resides in the same suburb leading to his arrest.
It came out during trial, that he had been sexually assaulting the minor for the past two years when she was eight years up until when she was 10 years old. The court was told that the man was in the habit of calling the complainant into his bedroom and caress her, after which he would rape her and this went on until the child had gotten used to it and would sometimes approach his uncle for “sex thinking it’s what she’s supposed to be doing”.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter