Nyasha Chimbadzwa

ZVISHAVANE – A 26-year-old man who ambushed and raped two primary school children on separate occasions has been sentenced to 35 years in jail after appearing at the Zvishavane Magistrates’ Court recently.

Elphas Mapfumo of Zvishavane was convicted of sexually abusing girls aged 7 and 8.

In the first incident, which occurred on July 23, 2025, the seven-year-old girl was walking home from school with friends when Mapfumo approached them.

He grabbed the victim’s hand, chased her friends away, and dragged her to a spot beside the road where he raped her.

“The victim later told a relative what had happened, and the matter was reported to the police by her mother on September 24, 2025,” said the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ).

The court heard that Mapfumo sexually abused another eight-year-old girl on September 19, 2025.

Similar to the first case, the victim was walking home from school with a six-year-old schoolmate. The two decided to rest and eat by the side of the road when the offender attacked them.

“The schoolmate fled, and the offender caught the victim, grabbed her by the neck, and dragged her into the bush,” said the NPAZ.

“He forced her to the ground, removed her clothing, and raped her.”

The victim was later taken home by a passerby, and she recounted her ordeal to her mother.

Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man, Tafadzwa Zhou, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison by the Zvishavane Magistrates’ Court following a violent attack on a tuck shop cashier in Zvishavane.

Zhou will serve 18 months behind bars, with 12 months suspended—six months on condition of good behaviour and the remaining six months on condition he restitutes the complainant US$40.

On August 14, Zhou and two accomplices, identified as Richie and Tonderai (who are still at large), stormed Antony Mine Tuck Shop, where the complainant, Tichatyei Kudonora, was on duty.

The trio was armed with knives and tasers, which they used to threaten and assault the complainant.

During the robbery, the complainant was stabbed in the left arm and tased three times before Zhou and his accomplices stole US$40 in cash and two Monster gold detectors valued at US$1,540.

Following swift police investigations led by the CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit (MFFU) in Zvishavane, the stolen gold detectors were recovered from a buyer after tracing transactions linked to Zhou.