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Kudzai Gaveni, Online Writer

A 33-YEAR-old Beitbridge man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a woman (38) who was on on her way to a funeral.

In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said the accused person appeared from the bush armed with a sjambok and assaulted three women who were on their way to a funeral in Chief

Staudze’s area, Beitbridge around 8:30 pm on 9 March 2024.

The three women escaped in different directions, but the accused followed the complainant caught up with her snatched her cell phone, and demanded sexual intercourse with her at knifepoint.

He fled from the scene after raping the complainant once when he threatened to kill her if she made noise.

“When the complainant’s companions found her, she narrated her ordeal and they went to the funeral where the elders assisted in reporting the incident to the police who along with the locals conducted a search party. The accused person was arrested after they tracked his shoe tracks leading to his residence. The stolen cellphone, okapi knife, and shoes he was wearing when he committed the crime were recovered,” reads the statement.