adminMashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
A MAN from Tsholotsho who raped and impregnated his 23-year-old mentally ill neighbour has been sentenced to 14 years in jail. Nicholas Ngwenya (47) of Sipepa area pleaded not guilty to rape before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Mark Dzira but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence. The prosecutor, Mr Tinashe Dzipe, said on an unknown date in March last year, Ngwenya visited the woman at her home and found her sitting in the kitchen while her grandmother was sleeping in a bedroom hut.
He said Ngwenya dragged the victim to one of the huts in the homestead where he raped her. “The accused went on to rape the complainant several times on different occasions until she got pregnant,” said Mr Dzipe.
The complainant’s grandmother became suspicious on noticing that her granddaughter appeared to be pregnant. Mr Dzipe said the old woman quizzed the complainant and she revealed that Ngwenya had raped her.
Relatives took the complainant to Sipepa Clinic where medical tests showed that she was expecting. They made a report to the police leading to Ngwenya’s arrest. A psychiatric report that was produced in court as an exhibit showed that the woman was a mental health patient.
Ngwenya, in his defence, said he had consensual sex with the complainant. He also claimed that he did not know that his neighbour was mentally challenged.
Online Reporter