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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
A 26-YEAR-OLD Gwanda herdsman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a 65-year-old woman while she had a baby strapped on her back and infecting her with HIV.

Mathias Mudimba of Swindiri area first struck the woman with a brick on the head and raped her while she was unconscious.

He pleaded not guilty to rape before Gwanda regional magistrate, Mr Mark Dzira, but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and four years were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.
Mr Dzira rebuked Mudimba for raping someone old enough to be his mother.

In his defence, Mudimba said he was not around on the day he was accused of raping the woman.

“I wasn’t around on the day in question as I was attending to my employer’s cattle. I never got to the place where the complainant is saying I raped her. At the time she is saying I raped her that was when I was penning the cattle with my employer. I was shocked when the police came to my place a few days later saying I raped the complainant as I knew nothing about the incident,’’ he said.

Prosecuting, Mr Pearson Chekeya said Mudimba raped the woman on February 22 at around 4PM.

“The complainant was on her way from the shops using a path which passes through the bush. She came across Mudimba who was herding cattle and they exchanged greetings. As she drew closer to her residence the woman heard footsteps behind her and saw Mudimba running towards her. He struck her on the head with a log,’’ he said.

Mr Chekeya said Mudimba force marched the complainant to a stream where he ordered her to remove her clothes as he wanted to have sexual intercourse with her.

He said the complainant refused and Mudimba picked up a brick and struck the complainant on the head and she lost consciousness.

Mr Chekeya said the complainant woke up about 40 minutes later and realised that Mudimba had raped her. She went to a nearby homestead where she sought help and the matter was reported to the police resulting in his arrest.

In her statement, the woman said Mudimba attacked her while she was carrying her two month old grandson on her back.

The woman said when she woke up, her grandson was lying next to her. She said a medical examination she undertook after the rape revealed that Mudimba had infected her with HIV.—@DubeMatutu