-gives victim 10 bond
SHANNISE DZOBO
MASVINGO -Vengesai Vunganayi (40) of Gopoza Village under Chief Chikwanda in Masvingo Rural, who has been on the run since 2020 has been sentenced to 20 years in jail by Regional Magistrate, Bishard Chineka for rape.
Two years were suspended for five years.
Vunganayi raped a 14 year old juvenile who was doing grade 5 when the act was done and ran away from justice since then until he was apprehended and given the lengthy sentence last week.
It is the State case that on the 26th of August, 2020 the mother of the complainant left her in custody of Rumbidzai Mutamba(46) who lives in Village Mavuka under Chief Chikwanda as she was proceeding to Zaka Jerera where her husband was working.
On 12 September, 2020 at around 1430hrs the complainant proceeded to Mutamba’s homestead so that she could play with her children.
As she was returning home at around 1730hrs she saw the accused who was seated on a rock in their field(complainant’s field) which is some five hundred metres from the homestead.
Vunganayi greeted the complainant and advised her to come to where he was so that he could give her money which belonged to her mother and the complainant complied.
As the complainant arrived where Vunganayi was, he got hold of the her, tripped her to the ground and the accused dropped his trousers to knee level mounted on top of her and had an unprotected sexual intercourse with her at once without her consent.
After the act the Vunganayi stood up and wore his trousers and ordered the complainant not to reveal the case to anyone and gave her US$1 and ZW$10 as a way of silencing her and went away.
The matter came to light on 14 September when Mutamba found out that the complainant was in possession of cash and interrogated her on where she got the money and she revealed it all to her.
Mutamba did not report the matter to the police as she was waiting for the arrival of the complainant’s mother who was still in Zaka Jerera.
The complainant’s mother came on 27 September, 2020 at around 2000hrs and was advised of the issue, they reported the matter the following day at ZRP Zano base.
The police attended the scene and the complainant was escorted to Masvingo Provincial Hospital where she was medically examined by a doctor who concluded that there was penetration, but the accused had disappeared from the village.
The accused was arrested last year in December when he came back to his rural home.
Liberty Hove prosecuted.
