Harare, (New Ziana) – A 67-year-old man from Chirumanzu, the Midlands province, has been jailed for an effective 20 years for raping his two minor daughters, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) has said.
The Gweru Magistrates’ Court convicted the rapist father for raping his two daughters aged 5 and 11 on various occasions last year, threatening to harm them if they disclosed the matter to anyone.
The matter came to light when the girls’ mother noticed unfamiliar behaviour in the complainants and a police report was made, leading to the father’s arrest.
NPAZ also reports that a 23-year-old man from Keme village, Mphoeng in Plumtree, Matebeleland South province, was convicted for raping a 14-year-old juvenile last month and sentenced to an effective 18 years imprisonment.
The rape occurred on February 9 this year around 1 AM when the rapist went to his victim’s residence and ordered her to open the door and when she refused, he broke in.
He ordered the complainant’s brother to go to sleep and then ordered the girl to remove her clothes but she refused, and the rapist threatened to kill both her and her brother, forcing her to comply.
He raped her once, after which the complainant reported the assault to a neighbour, who accompanied her to the police to make a report.
Also from Plumtree, a 38-year-old man was jailed for an effective 20 years for the rape of a fellow villager.
The rape occurred on March 5 this year around midnight in Ngwana village, when the rapist went to the complainant’s place of residence and knocked at the door, and the complainant, who was expecting her boyfriend, opened the door.
Realizing it was not her boyfriend, she pushed him and locked the door from inside. Later the rapist broke her window, forced his way in, and grabbed her by the neck, pushing her onto the bed.
The woman called for help, but no one heard her and she was overpowered despite her spirited resistance, and raped once.
After the assault, she managed to escape and alert a neighbour, who gathered other villagers but the man had already fled. The matter was reported to the police, leading to the rapist’s arrest.
Meanwhile, the High Court in Mutare has sentenced a trio from a Marange family to 20 years imprisonment each for the 2023 murder of another man at a local business centre.
According to the NPAZ, Stanley Kadzura (34), Petros Kadzura (37), and Tawanda Bayai Kadzura (33), all residents of Mariwo Village, Chief Marange, Mutare, were convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
The conviction stems from the death of Liberty Kambaramu on September 23, 2023, at Tsanza Business Centre, with the State presenting evidence demonstrating that the three accused acted with a shared intent and common purpose in the violent assault that led to Kambaramu’s death.
The court heard that Kambaramu was brutally attacked with clenched fists and booted feet. He was also strangled and stabbed on the lower side of the chest and the lower abdomen with an okapi knife, and he died as a result of the stab wounds.
Seperately, seven people from Goromonzi near Harare have been sentenced to five months imprisonment each for illegally occupying land in the area.
The NPAZ said Bamsi Magaisa (56), Philip Kambuto (48), Joel Madziva (45), Isaac Wiliseni (49), Togarepi Mudzudza (46), Shelly Chapwanya (52), and Tatenda Ndlovu (23) were convicted for unlawfully occupying and developing land in Cloverdale B of Galloway Estate, Goromonzi, Mashonaland East province, in violation of the Regional, Town, and Country Planning Act.
The septet were convicted after they illegally pegged and allocated residential stands without the required government approval between April and October 2024.
Investigations revealed that Glorious Properties Pvt Ltd was the sole authorized developer of the land under an agreement with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
However, the seven went ahead and built structures without permission, disrupting planned developments, damaging roads, water pipes, and survey pegs.
The NPAZ has warned land barons and illegal settlers to desist from unlawful activities or face prosecution, imploring people to acquire land through legal channels.
New Ziana
