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Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
AN HIV positive man, 55, habitually raped his daughter after claiming he had a dream in which two white men directed him to sleep with the minor to get cured.

Disgusted Bulawayo magistrate Mark Dzira yesterday said the man was worse than an animal. He jailed the man, from Plumtree, for 20 years.

The man raped his daughter, 16, and she fell pregnant and had to drop out of school.

The court heard how the man raped the teen and continued to demand sex for about two months. She ended up texting her mother who is based in South Africa and told her about the sex attacks.

“I was staying with my father as he separated from my mother who stays in South Africa. On October 29 he called me to his bedroom and said he had a dream that he wanted to share with me,” said the girl.

“He said two white men appeared in the dream and instructed him to sleep with me if he wanted to be cured of HIV. After that he ordered me to get into his blankets and I refused.”

Dzira heard how the man grabbed his daughter and raped her once.

“I didn’t tell anyone. I was afraid of my father because he’s a very violent man. He continued demanding sex daily from that day until I informed my mother. Police were informed and I was taken to hospital where nurses confirmed I was pregnant.”

The girl’s mother said she collapsed when she received a text from her daughter.

“I received a text from my daughter saying her father had raped her. I then made a police report, leading to his arrest.”

Dzira condemned the man’s behaviour saying he had no place in the community.

“You’ve reduced your daughter’s life to nothing but a trauma-filled experience that will haunt her forever. Her own father didn’t only rape her, but also impregnated her. The pregnancy was legally terminated but still you’ve destroyed her life.

“You killed your child and kept on piling up trauma in her life by demanding sex from her, something which is taboo for sane humans,” said Dzira.

“Some animals behave better than you and there’s no way the girl was going to lie and claim you raped her. You’re therefore sentenced to spend 20 effective years in jail and there’s no reason why I must suspend any of those years.”