Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura, [email protected]
A 34-year-old man from Pelandaba West in Bulawayo has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping his six-year-old neighbour and giving her R3 to buy her silence.
The accused, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the child, appeared before Western Commonage regional magistrate Mr Pasipanodya Maturure facing two counts of rape. He pleaded not guilty to both charges but was convicted after trial. Mr Maturure said the man was sentenced to 18 years for each count, which will run concurrently.
In his defence, the convicted man admitted being a neighbour to the complainant and claimed that the child often approached him at community grounds asking for R1 to buy snacks. He argued that the money involved was “not much” and insisted he routinely gave children small amounts, but he denied taking the girl to his house or having sex with her as alleged.
Passing sentence, Mr Maturure said the complainant was only six years old and noted that the accused had admitted giving her money in an attempt to silence her. He said this explained the child’s initial reluctance to report the abuse, as she “obviously did not understand the wrong in what was being done to her.”
Prosecutor, Ms Melissa Dube told the court that the first offence occurred sometime in December 2025, when the complainant met the accused at Makharatini grounds. The court heard that they went together to his house, where he had sex with her once before giving her R1.
On the second count, the court heard that on January 18, 2026, the girl again encountered the accused at Makharatini shops and asked him for money. They went together to his house, where he raped her once and gave her R2.
The matter came to light after neighbours alerted the girl’s mother to the child’s behaviour around the accused. After questioning her daughter, the mother was told about the abuse, Ms Dube said.
A police report was filed and the accused was subsequently arrested. The complainant was referred to hospital for medical examination.
