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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
A TEENAGE herdsman has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for impregnating his Form Two girlfriend aged 14 causing her to drop out of school.

Talent Nyathi (18) of Maphani Village in Gwanda was convicted on his own plea of guilty to charges of having sexual intercourse with a young person when he appeared before Gwanda provincial magistrate, Mr Maphios Moyo.

He was sentenced to three years imprisonment and six months of his sentence were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years. He will serve an effective two years and six months in jail.

Mr Moyo said Nyathi had committed a serious offence as he impregnated a school going child thereby destroying her future.

“The offence you committed is serious because you slept with a school child fully knowing that she was at school. You went on to impregnate her which caused her to drop out of school. Now her future has been destroyed because of your actions, you have turned a child into a mother.

“The sentence that I will give you has to serve as an example for like-minded people who target school girls. The appropriate sentence in this case will be a custodial sentence,” said Mr Moyo.

Prosecuting, Ms Tererai Mahohoma said Nyathi proposed love to the juvenile who was learning at Mapane Secondary School in April. She said they had sexual intercourse several times resulting in the juvenile falling pregnant.

Ms Mahohoma said the juvenile did not reveal the pregnancy to anyone until July when her aunt noticed changes to her body. She said her aunt questioned the girl who later revealed that she had been impregnated by Nyathi.

The matter was reported to the police resulting in his arrest.

In his defence Nyathi said he was in a relationship with the juvenile and she had consented to having sexual intercourse with him. — @DubeMatutu