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Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
TWO PLUMTREE brothers who took turns to rape a married woman before robbing her of R250 were yesterday each sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Regional magistrate Mark Dzira found Chance Ngwenya, 30 and Cephas Ngwenya, 32, guilty of rape and robbery although they had both denied the charges.

In passing sentence, magistrate Dzira took into consideration that rape cases were on the increase and therefore deterrent sentences were called for.

“In coming up with an appropriate sentence, I’ve taken into account that you’re first offenders but what’s aggravating is that you connived and raped the complainant four times each.

“This shows that you had planned committing the offence well in advance,” said Dzira.

He then sentenced each accused to 16 years in prison for rape but suspended four years on condition of good behaviour.

For robbery, they were each sentenced to one year in prison giving them an effective 13 years in prison each.

In his defence, Cephas said the woman was using rape to cover up for her adulterous affair with him.

“I was in relationship with this married woman whose husband is in South Africa. So far I’ve had sexual intercourse with her 15 times and everything was going on well”.

“I however caught her in bed with one of the State witnesses, a nephew to her husband and I left the homestead. I then started demanding my R200 she had taken from me the previous day,” he said.

His co-accused Chance told the court he slept at home on the said day and was surprised when police arrested him on rape allegations.

“I don’t know what happened as I was home that night. I didn’t rape her or rob her of anything,” said Chance.

In mitigation, they two said they were both family men with children to look after.

Tinashe Dzipe for the State alleges that on September 6, 2014 at around 9PM in Mlomwe area Plumtree, the woman retired to bed closing the door though she did not lock it.

“At around 1AM, the two men arrived and opened the door. While inside Chance grabbed the woman and pushed her down before forcing her to lie facing upwards,” said Dzipe.

“In the process he tore the woman’s panties and raped her once while Cephas was watching. Soon after Cephas took his turn and raped her once. The two then took turns to rape the woman,” he said.

Dzipe told the court that the men later demanded money from the woman threatening to continue raping her if she did not give them the money.

“The woman in fear gave them R250 and they went away. Some footprints were seen leading to Chance’s homestead resulting in their arrest.