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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A BULILIMA girl who was allegedly raped by her father has been granted permission to abort the pregnancy by a Plumtree magistrate for her not to interrupt her studies. The 16-year-old girl was impregnated by her 55-year-old father in late October while her mother was away in South Africa, where she works. The mother applied to the court for her daughter to abort the pregnancy and Plumtree magistrate, Livard Philemon granted the order.

The father and daughter who cannot be named to protect the girl lived alone in Dombodema area in Bulilima District. The man took advantage of his wife’s absence to forcibly have sexual intercourse with the then Form Three pupil in October last year and then warned her against reporting the matter.

The matter came to light after the juvenile’s mother discovered that her daughter was two months pregnant when she visited home in December for the holidays.

In her application, the woman told the court that the juvenile had been impregnated by her father and that she was not prepared to keep the pregnancy as she was still in school. The juvenile’s father appeared on initial remand before the same magistrate facing rape charges. He was remanded in custody to January 20.

Prosecuting, Elisha Mazorodze said the elderly man raped his daughter on October 29. “On October 29 the man called his 16-year-old daughter into his bedroom in the middle of the night. He was alone with the juvenile and he started fondling her breasts and ordered her to remove her clothes,” he said.

“The juvenile protested and her father threatened to assault her with a knobkerrie if she didn’t comply. He forcibly removed her clothes and raped her once. The man went on to warn the girl against reporting the matter to anyone.”

Mazorodze said the juvenile remained silent about the matter and when her mother returned home in December she discovered that her daughter was two months pregnant. He said when questioned, the juvenile revealed that her father had raped her. The matter was reported to the police leading to his arrest.