SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MASVINGO-A 43-year-old man from Chenga Village under Chief Murinye in Masvingo was last week sentenced to 40 years in prison when he appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Innocent Bepura facing two rape charges.
The two separate incidents occurred in October 2023 when the accused (name withheld for ethical reasons) raped his two biological daughters.
According to court papers on an unknown date in the month of October, 2023, the accused person at around 1400hrs, raped his 7 – year-old daughter who had just come back home from school.
Her mother was not around as she had gone to the fields. The accused person was in his bedroom. He then went to the kitchen and found the complainant alone.
He lied her down on her back before removing her undergarments and raped her once.
He threatened to beat the complainant if she revealed the matter to anyone.
On another count, the accused person during the same month raped his 13-year old daughter.
It is said the accused person got employed as a housekeeper at a nearby homestead where he would sleep every day with his wife leaving their two daughters alone at home.
On a day unknown to the prosecutor, he told his wife to carry his beer to his workplace since he was not coming back home but will go straight to his workplace from the bar.
During the fateful night, the father came back home and went into the complainant’s bedroom where she was sleeping together with her young sister although he had indicated that he was not coming back.
He tore the complainant’s undergarments and mounted on top of her and raped her once.
The complainant was awakened by the pain and she screamed, calling her sister who also woke up but the father had already disappeared, leaving his shoes in the bedroom.
The complainant revealed the matter to her mother but she did not take any action. The case came to light as a tip-off leading to the arrest of the father.
