The Sunday News
A Gokwe man has left Mahlanzi villagers shell-shocked after he was caught pants down by his brother raping his 13-year-old daughter and unashamedly claimed he was “teaching her to be an adult”.
The incident occurred on 12 July when the man (name withheld to protect the identity of the victim) of Mahlanzi Village in Gokwe was caught by his brother sweating it out on his daughter before she went to school. The man last week appeared before Gokwe-Kwekwe regional magistrate Mr Amos Mbobo facing rape.
He pleaded guilty and was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Mr Mbobo suspended two years from the sentence on condition of good behaviour.
In passing the sentence, Mr Mbobo said the court took into consideration that cases of sexual abuse of children by their parents and guardians were alarmingly on the increase and imposing stiffer penalties will express the abhorrence with which the society regards these pervasive but outrageous acts.
The State’s case was that on 12 July this year, the victim was preparing to go to school when her father approached and instructed her to lie on her stomach before he forcibly undressed her and raped her once.
However, the court heard, luck ran out for the accused when his brother walked in on him while raping the minor.
The brother informed the accused’s wife who then reported the matter to the police.
In his defence, the accused said he wanted to teach her to be an adult. Mrs Mary Chapinda appeared for the State.
In a similar incident, a Mberengwa man has been hauled before the courts after he allegedly raped his 10-year-old daughter several times. The man (name withheld) of Jobe Village under Chief Bangwe in Mberengwa was not asked to plead when he was arraigned before Mberengwa magistrate Mr Tavengwa Sangster facing rape.
He was remanded to 3 August and was advised to apply for bail at the High Court.
For the State, Ms Wadzanai Shayanowako told the court that sometime in April this year on a date unknown to the prosecutor, the complainant was left at home with her father when he approached her while she was in her bedroom hut forcibly undressed her and raped her once. The accused went on to threaten the complainant with death if she reported the matter. Shayanowako said the accused raped the complainant on several other occasions.
However, the matter came to light when the child’s teacher noticed that her performance had dropped drastically and offered her to counselors where she divulged that she was being sexually abused by her father.
The matter was reported to police leading to the father’s arrest.
