A 21-YEAR-OLD Esigodini man has been jailed for 12 years
for raping his girlfriend’s nine-year-old sister after his girlfriend had
denied him sex as she was on her menstrual cycle.
The man from Tusi Village in Esibomvu area pleaded not
guilty to rape when he appeared before Gwanda regional magistrate, Mr Mark
Dzira but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence. He was sentenced to 12
years imprisonment and three years were suspended on condition he does not
commit a similar offence within the next five years.
Prosecuting, Mr Blessing Gundani said he raped the juvenile
who is a Grade Four pupil at Mzinyathini Primary School in Esigodini on 14
January.
“On 14 January in the afternoon the complainant was playing
with her friends when her sister asked them to accompany her to the fields to
collect some okra. Along the way they met (name withheld) who is the boyfriend
of the complainant’s sister and he accompanied them to the fields.
“Along the way he lifted up the complainant and later put
her down. The other children later went back home leaving the complainant with
her sister and him in the fields. He then requested to have sex with the
complainant’s sister but she refused and told him that she was on her menstrual
cycle,” he said.
Mr Gundani said the complainant’s sister went on to collect
okra from the fields and he asked the complainant to accompany him to collect
some wild fruits in the bushes and she agreed. He said when they were alone in
the bush the accused grabbed the complainant and raped her once and threatened
to beat her up if she revealed the matter to anyone and he ordered her to go
home.
Mr Gundani said he returned to the fields alone and told
his girlfriend that her younger sister had decided to go back home to play with
her friends.
“When she got home the complainant started crying and her
grandmother questioned her and she revealed what the accused had done to her.
The matter was reported to the police resulting in his arrest,” he said.
In his defence, he denied raping the complainant. He said
on the day in question there was no time that he was alone with the complainant
as they were in the company of the complainant’s sister who is his girlfriend
until they parted ways. Sunday News
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