Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
A FILABUSI man who posed as a traditional healer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his 16-year-old niece under the pretext of performing a cleansing ritual.
The man, whose identity cannot be disclosed to protect the minor, was convicted on two counts of rape by Gwanda regional magistrate Mrs Sithembiso Ndebele.
Prosecuting, Mr Ngonidzashe Shumba told the court that the offence occurred on July 10 last year when the teenager, accompanied by her grandmother, visited the accused seeking treatment for abdominal pains and headaches.
Prosecuting, Mr Ngonidzashe Shumba told the court that on July 10 last year at around 1 PM, the complainant was taken to the accused’s homestead by her grandmother seeking treatment for abdominal pains and a headache.
“The accused person took the complainant to his consultation room and told her grandmother that she would have to remain behind as the cleansing was supposed to take place at night,” he said.
Trusting the accused, the grandmother left the teenager in his care after being assured she would be attended to by female assistants.
However, the court heard that during the night, when everyone was asleep, the accused took advantage of the situation and sexually abused the girl.
“At around 11 PM, the accused person ordered the complainant to remove her clothes and gave her a white cloth to cover her body. He took her to a nearby bush where he bathed her using a concoction,” said Mr Shumba.
After the ritual, they returned to the consultation room, where the accused instructed the complainant to sleep naked under blankets, claiming the treatment needed to be effective.
He later returned at midnight and told the girl that sleeping with her was part of the cleansing process.
Despite her objection, the accused overpowered her and raped her twice.
The court heard that he then threatened the complainant, warning her not to disclose the incident or seek medical assistance, claiming she would fall critically ill and die if she did so.
The following day, the complainant was collected by her grandmother, with the accused falsely assuring her that the cleansing had been successful.
Upon returning home, the teenager complained of pain in her private parts, prompting her grandmother to question her. She then revealed the ordeal and the matter was reported to the police, leading to the man’s arrest.
