Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube
A 42-YEAR-OLD Beitbridge man has been sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison after he hid under his ex-lover’s bed before ambushing and raping the 19-year-old woman.
The shocking incident happened on 16 May 2026 at Juta Village 2 under Chief Sitaudze.
The Beitbridge Regional Court, according to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), heard that the woman was alone at her residence when she heard suspicious noises coming from inside the house. As she went to investigate, her former boyfriend suddenly emerged from under the bed where he had been hiding.
He blocked her escape, clamped his hand over her mouth to silence her cries and forced her onto a mattress. He then covered her face with a blanket before raping her.
After the traumatic ordeal, the woman contacted her aunt, who immediately accompanied her to ZRP Lutumba Base to report the matter.
Investigators gathered forensic evidence from the scene, while a medical examination conducted at Beitbridge
Hospital also formed part of the evidence presented before the court.
The evidence proved crucial in securing the man’s conviction, with the Beitbridge Regional Court sentencing him to an effective 15 years behind bars.
