Maid gets 15 years for raping employer’s son

Patrick Chitumba-Midlands Bureau Chief

A 20-YEAR-OLD maid from Senga suburb in Gweru has been sentenced to an effective 15-years in jail for sexually abusing her employer’s eight-year-old son and infecting him with a sexually transmitted infection (STI). 

Sitholokuhle Nyathi was convicted of two counts of aggravated indecent assault by Gweru regional magistrate Mr Christopher Maturure.

In mitigation, Nyathi pleaded with the court to give her a lesser sentence, telling the magistrate that she was driven by a desire to quench her appetite for sex.

For the State, Mr Sibangani Dube called for a stiffer penalty to be imposed on Nyathi to deter would-be offenders.

“The accused took advantage of the minor’s vulnerability and, in an aggravating manner, indecently assaulted him. By engaging in unlawful and intentional unprotected sexual intercourse with an eight-year-old minor, the accused not only breached the trust placed in her by her employers, but also abused her authority in the most despicable manner,” said Mr Dube.

He said Nyathi inflicted psychological scars upon the victim.

“What makes this crime more aggravating is that the accused infected the complainant with an STI putting the minor at risk of contracting other related diseases, hence a stiffer deterrent sentence is the only option to such an illegal act,” said Mr Dube.

The court heard that Nyathi shared a room with the minor, who is doing Grade Two at a local school. 

“On the first count, sometime in January, Nyathi fondled the child’s private parts before engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse with the minor. On another occasion, she woke up the boy inviting him to share blankets with her during which she sexually abused him,” said Mr Dube.

Despite the traumatic experiences, the boy remained silent. 

The matter came to light on March 30 when the boy visited his aunt in Kwekwe.

The court heard that during a visit to the toilet, the alert aunt noticed that her nephew’s urine was discoloured with some blood stains. 

She took him to a local clinic for medical treatment during which tests were conducted and the results showed that the boy had contracted an STI.

Upon being quizzed, the minor revealed that Nyathi had been sexually abusing him.

The victim’s aunt notified the boy’s mother who in turn made a police report leading to Nyathi’s arrest.