Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
A 54-YEAR-OLD Gwanda man has been jailed 15 years for raping his 14-year-old step daughter.
The accused person from Mapate Village, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, pleaded not guilty to rape but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence by Gwanda regional magistrate, Ms Sithembiso Ndebele.
He was sentenced to an effective 15 year jail term. Prosecuting, Ms Zanele Sithole, said the accused person raped the complainant during her mother’s absence. The matter came to light after the complainant was found by her aunt crying.
“On a date unknown but during the month of June, the complainant and her younger siblings had been left under the care of her step father while her mother had gone to South Africa,” said Ms Sithole.
“A day after the complainant’s mother had left the accused person summoned her into his bedroom and told her that he wanted her to clean.
“The complainant started sweeping in the bedroom and the accused person ordered her to lie on the bed and remove her clothes. The complainant refused and the accused person grabbed her and raped her. He threatened to beat up the complainant if she revealed the matter to her mother,” she said.
Ms Sithole said the complainant left the bedroom and went to sit alone outside and her aunt found her crying and inquired what had happened.
She said the complainant refused to disclose what had happened stating that the accused person would beat her up if she did.
The complainant’s aunt probed further until she revealed what the accused person had done to her.
“The complainant’s aunt took her niece to the police station to report the matter. Police carried out investigations leading to the arrest of the accused person,” said Ms Sithole.
In passing her sentence, Ms Ndebele said while the accused person had denied the allegations, the evidence presented before the court had proven that he committed the offence.
She said what was aggravating was that the accused person was expected to assume a fatherly role to the complainant and protect her instead of harming her. Ms Ndebele said the complainant’s mother had left her children under the custody of the accused person, which meant that she trusted him.
“A deterrent sentence is needed for like-minded people like you who sexually violate little children. You are a danger to society, and therefore you need to be rehabilitated so that you can have a change of mindset,” she said.
In his defence, the accused person denied having raped the complainant. He said he viewed the complainant as his own daughter and would never hurt her. The accused person stated that the complainant’s aunt, who is his sister-in-law, had fabricated the allegations because she was against his relationship with her sister.–@DubeMatutu
