Rapist uncle jailed 18 years

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A 39-year-old Bulawayo man was yesterday beginning an 18-year prison term for raping his Grade Five niece and sucking her privates. The man, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, raped the girl who was in his custody in his bedroom in Sauerstown suburb on March 27.

Sentencing him yesterday, senior regional magistrate Trynos Utahwashe bemoaned the increase in rape cases in the country and said the courts condemned such behaviour.

“This court finds you guilty of raping your niece. You’re therefore sentenced to 18 years in jail of which three years are suspended for five years on condition that you don’t commit a similar crime,” said magistrate Utahwashe.

The mother of the girl took to the witness stand and told the court that she was in Nkayi when the sexual abuse took place.

“I collected my daughter for holidays on March 30 and she complained of pain when urinating. At first I brushed it off suggesting she was failing to bath properly. One day as we were bathing together, she said the pain had worsened and upon inspecting her, I discovered she had vaginal sores,” said the mother.

Prosecuting, Robin Mukura said the family’s domestic worker was the first to know about the incident though she did nothing about it.

“On March 27 during the night at their home in Sauerstown, the girl woke up and noticed that she was no longer wearing her panties. She put them back on. As she went to the toilet, she noticed that her uncle was standing in the lounge,” said Mukura.

He told the court that the man followed his niece to the toilet and dragged her to his nearby bedroom before undressing her.

“He also removed his white shorts and raped her once without protection. Afterwards, he also dragged the girl to the floor and started sucking her privates. The girl later got up and dressed up before proceeding to their bedroom where she narrated her ordeal to the maid.”

Mukura said the domestic worker did not respond to the matter.

“On the following day, the man found his niece seated in the lounge alone and he molested her. The girl was later picked up by the mother who took her to Nkayi and upon arrival, she complained of pains when urinating.”

He said the mother finally discovered sores on the girl’s privates leading to the man’s arrest.