Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba
A 52-year-old man from Zvishavane has been handed an 18-year prison sentence, for the repeated rape of his best friend’s 12-year-old daughter, a Grade Six pupil.
Appearing before Zvishavane Regional Magistrate Mr Tawenga Sangster, on a single count of rape, the accused — who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity was found guilty after a full trial.
The court heard that the accused exploited the absence of the complainant’s parents, both of whom work in South Africa. The victim, a neighbour of the accused and a Grade Six pupil at a local Zvishavane school, along with her younger brother, had been dependent on the accused for provisions since February.
The prosecution detailed that on an unspecified date in February, at around 8AM, the accused called the complainant’s brother, instructing him to send the complainant to his house for food.
Upon her arrival, accompanied by her five-year-old niece, the complainant entered the kitchen. However, the niece soon expressed a desire to go home, claiming hunger.
The court heard that the accused then told the complainant to give her niece sadza and beef before calling the complainant into his bedroom, where he was lying in bed. He emerged from under the blankets and informed the complainant of his intention to have sexual intercourse with her.
The complainant, confused, asked for clarification, to which the accused menacingly replied she would “have to wait and see” before demanding she remove her underwear.
When she refused, the accused threatened to stop providing food for her and her brother, warning they would starve. Fearing the consequences, she complied, and the accused raped her once. Immediately afterwards, he gave her a pill, claiming it would prevent pregnancy.
Terrified by the threats, the complainant returned home and kept silent about the ordeal.
The court heard that from that day onwards, the accused repeatedly summoned the complainant to his house, where he would sexually assault her on multiple occasions. After each incident, he allegedly continued to administer a pill, reiterating his claim that it would prevent pregnancy.
On March 14, the accused contacted the complainant’s teacher, requesting that the pupil be sent to his house to collect school toiletries.
Disturbingly, the court heard that the complainant told her teacher she should not be sent alone to the accused’s house as he “would do bad things to her.” Tragically, the teacher failed to act on this crucial warning or offer any assistance to the minor.
The truth finally emerged on May 23, when the complainant confided in a neighbour, disclosing the repeated sexual assault by the accused. The neighbour promptly provided her with a mobile phone, so she could contact her mother in South Africa and narrate her horrifying ordeal at the hands of her father’s best friend.
On May 25, the complainant was taken to the police to report the matter. A subsequent medical examination led directly to the arrest of the accused.
Despite pleading not guilty to the charge, the accused was convicted at the close of the trial and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
