Mbanje puffing rapist jailed

Senior Reporter
A 23-YEAR-OLD Inyati man who drugged her 15-year-old niece and later raped her was jailed for 15 years by a Rusape regional magistrate.

Although Wellington Nyakusvova of Village 52 denied the charges, he was found guilty as charged by Mr Livingstone Chipadza after a full trial.

Mr Tirivanhu Mutyasira prosecuted.

The State told the court that Nyakusvova was so determined to rape his niece that he drugged the teenager by puffing out huge amounts of smoke from a mbanje cigarette towards the girl, heavily intoxicating the juvenile in the process.

The Form Three student became unconscious, paving way for the accused person to force himself on her girl with much ease.

Mr Mutyasira told the court that the offence was perpetrated in October 2015.

“The accused and the complainant went to fetch firewood in the company of two other villagers from a nearby bush. While in the process of looking for firewood the other villagers retired to their homes leaving the uncle and the niece together. The accused person started showing the complainant pornographic videos that were in his mobile phone of people having sex,” he said.

He went on to ask the girl to have sex with him just like what was being shown in the video.

“The girl refused. The accused then took mbanje from his pocket and smoked the drug in the presence of the juvenile. He puffed the smoke towards the girl. She became weak and fell unconscious. He raped her in that state. The complainant later gained consciousness while the accused person was still raping her,” he said.

In a bid to silence the girl from reporting the incident, he threatened her with a knife as well as telling her that if ever she revealed the matter he would commit suicide, a situation that would put her family in danger from his avenging spirit.

Nyakusvova denied the allegations saying he was in love with the girl and that the sexual intercourse was consensual.

Mr Chipadza did not buy his defence.

Of the 15 years, two years were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.