adminavenging her husband’s adulterous affair with his mistress.
Humbulani Mbedzi who lives in Headman Foromera’s area denied the charge of rape when his trial opened before Mr Owen Tagu, but was convicted on the strength of evidence provided by the state.
Mbedzi was left with an effective 10 years to serve after Mr Tagu conditionally suspended five years of his sentence for five years.
Charges are that on October 25, 2009, the accused went to the woman’s homestead and lied that her husband had been arrested for stock theft and was to appear at the village court the following day.
He then put up in one of the huts at the homestead. On the following day at around 7 am he then led the woman, who was carrying a bag, towards the village court to witness her husband’s trial.
Along the way Mbedzi also threatened the woman saying she was also in trouble since she was married to a criminal. When they neared Thome River, after walking for about 10km, Mbedzi told the woman that he had lied about the stock theft case.
He then told her that he wanted to sleep with her since his cousin was having an adulterous affair with his wife. His advances were spurned prompting him to draw a knife from his pocket and threaten to kill the victim and her baby if she failed to comply with his orders.
He then force-marched her to a secluded area along the river bank, where he raped her once at knifepoint.
He threatened her with death if she reported the incident to anyone before disappearing.
The woman reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of Mbedzi who had spent three weeks on the run.
Online Reporter