Sister rapist jailed for 10 years

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A TEENAGER has been jailed for 10 years for raping his seven-year-old biological sister, despite efforts by his mother to withdraw the rape charges. The 18-year-old, from Bulawayo’s Romney Park suburb, had pleaded not guilty before senior Bulawayo regional magistrate, Mark Dzira. “I didn’t rape her and I’m very sure someone influenced her to make up the story. I’ve been staying with her for the past seven years and there was no way I could have done it,” he said.

The girl took to the witness stand in camera and told the court that her brother inserted his manhood into her private parts and buttocks when they were left alone.

“We were watching TV and he asked me to join him in his blankets. He then kept drawing closer to me and I tried running away but he got hold of me and raped me,” said the girl.

Magistrate Dzira rebuked the rapist, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, saying he had betrayed the trust that his sister had in him.

“You took advantage of a child and you must approach the High Court if you’re not satisfied with my sentence. You’re therefore sentenced to 10 years in jail of which three are suspended on condition of good behaviour.”

Tinashe Dzipe, for the State, said that on July 5, the girl was left in the custody of her brother at their Romney Park home while their other sister went to the city centre to buy electricity.

“At around 10AM, the girl was watching television in the sitting room where her brother was sleeping on a mattress. He called her into his blankets and undressed her before violating her once,” said Dzipe.

“When the sister returned, she was welcomed by the crying girl who hugged her. On inquiring why she was crying, the girl told her sister that her brother had inserted his manhood into her privates.”

A police report was made immediately.

Last week, the boy’s mother made frantic efforts to have the case struck from the court roll but Dzipe opposed filing of the withdrawal affidavit.

In an unrelated case, a man from Nkayi whose daughter was raped by a relative withdrew the case after he decided the family would sort out his daughter’s sexual abuse case out of court.

In an affidavit submitted to a regional magistrate last week, the man said both his 12-year-old daughter and his nephew aged 18 were school-going children whose future may be threatened by the commencement of the rape trial.

“We sat down as relatives and resolved to settle this matter out of court,” he said.

His request was accepted by Magistrate Abednico Ndebele to the outcry of activists who described the father’s actions as a violation of the girl’s rights.