Man jailed for raping niece

Musawenkosi Moyo

A 62-YEAR-OLD man from Pumula Old suburb in Bulawayo has been slapped with a 20-year jail term for raping his 18-year-old niece.

The man who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Sibongile Marondedze, facing rape charges.

He pleaded not guilty to the crime and was convicted after a full trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In his defence, the accused said that the victim had consented to having sexual intercourse with him and that they were in love.

While sentencing, the court took into account that the convict was related to the victim and that he had taken advantage of the trust instilled in him by the victim.

The court heard that sometime in August 2024, at around 11pm, the accused woke up the victim and called her to his bedroom under the pretext that he was going to work the following day and wanted to give her money for lunch.

It was heard that he forcefully grabbed her, locked the door and pushed her onto his bed.

He then proceeded to take a knife from his pocket and used it to threaten her to remain quiet. He removed the victim’s clothes and raped her.

The matter came to light when the victim confided in her father, who then advised her to report the matter to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest.