
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A 46-year-old man who raped his biological daughter aged 14 years was on Wednesday jailed for an effective 18 years by the Beitbridge Regional Magistrate Court.
The accused from Toporo area in Beitbridge West cannot be named for fear of exposing the complainant.
He is accused of having taken advantage of his wife’s absence to violate his biological daughter while the mother was attending a local cattle sales auction on March 6 this year.
Although he denied the charges of rape, Beitbridge regional magistrate Ms Charity Maphosa convicted him on the strenght of the State’s evidence in court.
Appearing for the State, Miss Tsitsi Mtukwa said on March 6 at around 1pm the man and his daughter were the only two people around the homestead when the mother went to a local cattle sales auction.
During that time, the accused called the complainant to his bedroom and he closed the door as soon as she entered.
The man then raped his daughter once and afterwhich he ordered her to leave the room.
On the same day , the complainant alerted her elder sister about the incident who then informed their mother.
The matter was reported at Shashe police station on the following day who swiftly arrested the accused person.
Recently a prominent cross-border transporter based in Beitbridge was sent to prison for 36 years by the same court for raping and impregnating his biological daughter.
He also induced abortion after discovering the pregnancy.