Online Reporter
Alicia Kadzviti
Online Reporter
A 36-year-old Mazowe man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for raping his stepdaughter.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the offences occurred on four separate occasions between August and September 2025 at a farm in Mazowe, where the child had been left under the man’s care.
During the attacks, the man used threats of violence to silence the minor.
“During the rape, he threatened the victim with an axe (Count 1), held pliers near her mouth (Count 3) and used a knife (Count 4) to instil fear,” said the NPAZ in a statement.
After the fourth incident on September 25, the perpetrator allegedly threatened to kill both the girl and her mother before fleeing the
scene.
The matter came to light after the victim confided in a 15-year-old friend at her biological father’s home.
The friend then alerted the girl’s mother, and the two accompanied the victim to report the matter to the police.
Delivering the sentence, the Bindura Regional Court condemned the man’s actions as a gross betrayal of trust.
“The systematic violation of an eight-year-old child by a person in a position of trust is unconscionable,” said the NPAZ.
It emphasised that the punishment reflects the seriousness of the crime and the justice system’s commitment to protecting vulnerable children.
