Man jailed 20 years for raping and impregnating niece

A 37-year-old man was slapped with a 20 year prison sentence for repeatedly raping his 16-year-old niece over several months, until she fell pregnant.

In a statement on X, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said, “A 37 year-old man from Mugute Village in Penhalonga appeared before the Penhalonga Magistrates’ Court facing charges of rape.

The State proved that in the month of August 2023, the accused person called for his 16 year-old niece, the complainant to a disused kitchen at their homestead and she complied. The accused person tripped the complainant to the ground and raped her once and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. After three days the complainant’s mother sent the complainant to collect groceries from the accused person’s homestead. Upon arrival the accused person grabbed the complainant’s hand and dragged her to his bedroom and raped her once.

“He warned her not to tell anyone of what had happened. In September of 2023 the accused person raped the complainant twice and again in October.

The accused person continued raping the complainant on several occasions whenever he met the complainant across November, January and February 2024. The matter came to light in August when the complainant’s sister visited and noticed that the complainant’s stomach was bulging. She asked the complainant who did not disclose the person responsible for the pregnancy until she was confronted by her brother. The matter was reported to the police and the complainant was medically examined and the results showed that she was pregnant.

“The accused person was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment of which 3 years were suspended for 5 years.”