adminFairness Moyana, Hwange Correspondent
A PRAYER request by a 12-year-old Grade 7 pupil for God to heal her of wounds on her private parts led to the unearthing of the minor’s sexual abuse at the hands of two friends.
It is said that the girl (name withheld) wrote a prayer request asking God to heal wounds on her private parts inflicted by sexual encounters she experienced with two men.
The prayer request was however, intercepted by her aunt before she could hand it over to the church pastor while at home resulting in an interrogation which led to the discovery of the abuse. This resulted in the arrest of Zanda Mumpande (26) and Tonderai Mlambo (18). The two appeared before Hwange regional magistrate, Mrs Dambudzo Malunga separately charged with rape. Both claimed that the sexual intercourse was consensual as they were in a love relationship with the pupil.
However, Mrs Malunga would have none of it arguing that the girl was too young to appreciate sex before convicting Mumpande and Mlambo to 12 and 10 years in prison respectively.
Prosecutor Mr Tinomupei Mbiza told the court that in August last year at Makwika Recreational Club, Mumpande had sexual intercourse with the minor with her consent after allegedly coercing her to prove her love by sleeping with him on two different occasions. On another occasion, Mlambo took the girl to his place of residence after proposing love to her before having sexual intercourse with her consent.
derick.khumalo