ZHOMBE – A man spent three months behind bars after his 16-year-old daughter lied that he had
raped her.

The father was however set free yesterday when the matter was discharged at the close of the State
case when his daughter during cross-examination told the court that she had lied about the alleged
abuse at the instigation of her mother who wanted to fix him.

This was heard during the appearance of (name withheld to protect the identity of the girl) before
Gokwe regional magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube facing one count of rape.

The man pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Mr Ncube set him free when the daughter being cross-examined by the prosecutor Mrs Melissa
Makombe told the court that she had fabricated the rape allegations at the instruction of her
mother.

It was the State case as presented by Mrs Makombe that the complainant is from Mnidwa Village,
Chief Malisa in Zhombe and she is a form two pupil at a local school.

On July 26 around 11 am at their homestead, the daughter was at home with her father since her
mother had gone to the garden.

The accused person called the complainant to his bedroom and upon entering the room the accused
person pushed the complainant to the floor and she fell facing upwards.

The court heard that the accused person pressed the complainant to the floor and raped her once.

Her mother suddenly returned home, went to her bedroom and caught the accused person red-
handed raping his daughter.

The complainant’s mother reported the matter at the police before the complainant was escorted to
the hospital for medical examination.
-The Chronicle