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Faith Mabuto Midlands Reporter
A MAID who inserted her fingers in the privates of her employer’s eight-year-old daughter until she developed sores has dozens new potential victims today after she was sent to perform community service at a primary school by a Gweru magistrate.

Monica Hlomani, 41, will perform 520 hours of community service at St Patrick’s Primary School in Gweru where she can continue her vile activities with minimum supervision. Regional Magistrate Morgan Nemadire, while describing Hlomani’s actions as “bad”, still let her off the hook with a mere rap on the knuckles.

“What you did was bad and you breached the trust that the complainant had placed in you,” the magistrate told Hlomani during sentencing.

“It was your job to protect her but you abused her. I’ve also taken into account that you’re a female first offender, but cases of sexual abuses are becoming too common.

“You pleaded not guilty to the charge but the evidence brought forward in this court proved you were guilty.”

The magistrate sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment, but conditionally suspended three-years before commuting the remaining two years to 520 hours of community service at the school. MPs have called for major law reforms and new sentencing guidelines in child sex abuse cases. MPs are calling for minimum jail sentences in cases of child sex abuse and that magistrates be directed to stop sending paedophiles to schools. Usher High School in Figtree in July refused to allow a 22-year-old convicted child sex offender to perform community service at the school after pleading guilty to having sex with a 12-year-old Form 1 pupil.

Absalom Makanga, the Usher High School Administrator, said child sex fiend Clement Mpofu was not welcome at the facility, adding: “The victim of this man is a Form 1 pupil within our institute and it’s our duty to protect her and other pupils who are within our custody.”

The Hlomani trial heard how during the period extending from November to December last year, the housekeeper on several occasions inserted her finger in the eight-year-old’s privates. “She would usually order the child to lie facing upwards and then proceed to insert her finger into the child’s genitalia,” said Emmanuel Matosi, prosecuting.

He told the court that on December 3 last year, the girl told her mother that she had a sore leg and her mother advised her to go and get a massage from Hlomani.

Matosi said that the girl refused and pointed out that she was having sores on her genitalia and when her mother examined her she observed bruises.

“She revealed that she had been abused by Hlomani and the matter was reported to the police leading to her arrest,” said Matosi.