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Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter—
A 28-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo man who broke into a house, raped, stabbed and robbed a woman in Queens Park suburb will spend the next 26 years in jail. Simelinkosi Mlalazi, who had a previous theft conviction, tried to dupe the court by using a fake name, Thabani Tshuma, but was exposed by his brother’s testimony. The regional court heard that Mlalazi cut his victim’s panties from her body using a knife before raping and stabbing her.
He robbed her of $34, two cellphones, two suitcases full of clothes and an amplifier all valued at $500.

Passing judgment,  regional magistrate Sikhumbuzo Nyathi said Mlalazi deserved a lengthy sentence as he committed his offences in an aggravated manner.
“This court finds you guilty of rape, robbery and unlawful entry which you committed in an aggravated manner and that makes it a very serious offence. For the first count of unlawful entry, you are sentenced to six years in prison of which three years are suspended for five years on condition you do not commit a similar offence.

“For the second count which is rape, you are sentenced to 20 effective years in prison. For the last count, you are sentenced to four years of which one year is suspended on condition you restitute the complainant before June 30, 2014. The four months were suspended in a previous conviction,” said Nyathi.

He added, “In coming up with your sentence, the court considered that you are not a first offender and that you lied about your real name therefore wasting the court’s time. You committed the rape in an aggravated manner, raping the woman in her own house where she is supposed to feel safe. Cases of rape are prevalent thus as a court we need to impose a stiff sentence to deter would be offenders.”

Mlalazi maintained that he was not guilty of any of the offences.
The State case led by Masimba Saruwaka is that on 13 September 2013, Mlalazi went to the victim’s house and opened an unlocked dining room door to gain entry at around 2AM.

He proceeded to the bedroom where the complainant was sleeping and stood beside the bed. She woke up and screamed but Mlalazi leaped over her and covered her face with a duvet and stabbed her once on the shoulder.

He then instructed her to follow his orders to avoid getting stabbed again. Mlalazi told the victim to spread her legs.
The frightened woman complied.

He then took his knife and tore her panties in two pieces and raped the woman.
As he raped her, a stolen phone rang from his pocket and it was later identified by the complainant’s friend after tracking it.

After raping her, he stabbed her again and demanded money. The woman showed him $34 which he took.
He then stabbed her for a third time saying the money was too little.

He then packed clothes into two suitcases, took an amplifier and two phones from the house and left. Mlalazi was arrested by police in the city and the stolen goods were recovered.