Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
PROSTITUTES have rights like any other citizen and the courts will not hesitate to protect them from abusive men, a magistrate said yesterday while sentencing a Makokoba man who raped a commercial sex worker to 10 years in jail. Pedzisai Magama, 25, a father of two took a prostitute to a relative’s house where he raped her after she refused to have sex demanding to be paid $15 they had agreed on first.

Regional magistrate Trynos Utahwashe said the 10-year sentence was a lesson to men who were of the view that raping prostitutes was not an offence.
He said while the courts did not condone prostitution, prostitutes were not lesser human beings.

“This woman is a prostitute, a practice that is illegal in Zimbabwe. However, that does not mean she can be raped, no, she is protected by the law just like any other female in this country.You wasted her time and took her from a club knowing well that you did not have $15 to pay for her services. Stay away from prostitutes if you do not have money because we all know they make a living from that,” said Magistrate Utahwashe.

He said Magama was misguided to think he could go scot-free after raping the woman.
“You failed to pay the $15 and it’s a pity because you will now pay with something more expensive. This should send a clear message to all men that prostitutes have rights as well. You are sentenced to 12 years imprisonment of which two years are suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.”

Testifying on Monday, the woman told the court that she was able to identify Magama’s home as it had a big flag at the gate symbolising that there is a prophet resident there.

“He told me that he stays with an uncle who is a prominent prophet in Makokoba and though I got to his home late at night, I was able to trace the house in the morning after making a police report. This man asked for sexual favours at a fee of $15 but wanted to force me to have sex before payment,” said the woman.

“When we got into his room, he undressed, took extra blankets and started demanding his phone he had given me as surety when we left the club. I gave him back the phone and he became violent and that is when I decided I was no longer interested in having sex with him.”
She told the court that she called a taxi and when she asked Magama to help direct the taxi driver to the house, he refused.

The woman said when Magama realised that she was really not interested, he accused her of stealing his cellphone prompting her to call his number and the phone rang in the same room.

She said when she left the house, Magama followed her. After some distance he started assaulting the complainant, dragged her to a public toilet at a market and raped her.

In his defence Magama said he released the woman when she refused to have sex before payment.
“When we got home, she changed her mind and said she wanted to leave. I led her to the door and slept and was surprised when police came and arrested me for raping her,” said Magama.

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