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Trish Mukwazo, [email protected] 

A 26-year-old Filabusi man who lured a teenager to travel to Bulawayo under the pretext of offering her a job and then raped her has been sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison by a Western Commonage magistrate.

The man (name withheld to protect the identity of the victim) from Asibambaneni village was convicted of rape by the regional magistrate, Sibonginkosi Mnkandla. He had lured the 17-year-old, who travelled from Plumtree believing she would be given employment.

“The court considers the impact that the offence had on the victim. The law does not tolerate such heinous crimes, and there is a need to impose a deterrent sentence to send a clear message to the offender and would-be offenders.

“The court will totally disregard the evidence given by the offender as his testimony in court differs from that on the defence outline. There is evidence that the sexual intercourse was not consensual according to the victim’s statement. Accordingly, the accused is sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for rape without the option of a fine,” ruled Ms Mnkandla.

Prosecutor Mellisa Dube said that sometime in March, the victim was in search of a job and sent a message on a WhatsApp group. 

On May 1, the offender responded, telling her that his grandmother was in need of a helper in Cowdray Park. 

The court heard that four days later, the victim acted on the WhatsApp response and came to Bulawayo. 

“Upon arrival, she was received by the man and his two friends. One of the friends took the victim to Mashasha beer garden in Mpopoma, where the offender resides as per his order. He promised to take her to Cowdray Park the following morning as he was in need of a partner.

Around 8pm, Dube said, the man came back home and promised to take the victim to her workplace the following morning. Three hours later, the man entered the chambers where the victim was sleeping, stripped her and raped her.

Dube told the court that the victim tried to defend herself but failed and eventually gave in. The court also heard that the following day, at around 6am, the victim left the man’s place after realising there was no employment. She made a report to ZRP Western Commonage, leading to the offender’s arrest. The juvenile was referred to Mpilo Central Hospital for medical examination, and the medical report was produced in court as evidence.

Dube submitted that the man deserved a harsh sentence given that he lured a juvenile from Plumtree under the pretext of a job offer and took advantage of her. 

“The offender also raped the victim thrice, and he further used force to facilitate the crime,” she said.