adminThupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
AN elderly man from Siyoka area in Beitbridge has been jailed for 12 years for repeatedly raping his critically ill neighbour’s 16-year-old daughter.
Ntshabeni Mbedzi, 60, from Chief Stauze area, had pleaded not guilty when his trial opened before regional magistrate Joseph Maveza but was convicted on the strength of evidence provided by the State.
Mbedzi will serve an effective eight years after Maveza conditionally set aside four years of the sentence for five years.
Johannes Tlou for the State told the court that sometime in March last year, the complainant was staying with her seriously ill mother, now late, and a mentally challenged grandmother in Siyoka area.
During the same month on a day unknown to the State, Mbedzi went to the teenager’s homestead during the night and found her preparing supper for her mother and grandmother, the court heard.
He approached the girl and told her he intended to have sexual intercourse with her and would pay R20 for the service.
The juvenile turned down his advances and left him and went to sleep with her parents.
Mbedzi pretended to leave the homestead but later came back and followed the girl to her bedroom hut.
He forced open the door and grabbed the girl threatening to kill her if she screamed to alert her parents who were asleep. He raped her once and went away. A few days after realising that nothing had happened to him following the incident, he continued visiting the homestead at night where he raped the complainant until October when some members of the community started talking about the issue.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter