ZIMBABWE – A man from Gokwe South District, Midlands Province, has been slapped with an 18-year jail sentence for raping and impregnating his teenage daughter.
The man from Chamunorwa Village under Chief Mkoka, whose identity has not been revealed to protect his victim, raped his daughter several times until she fell pregnant.
He recently appeared before Gokwe regional magistrate, Lungile Ncube and was convicted and sentenced to 18 years.
Four years were, however, suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Prosecutors told the court that on an unknown date, but during the period from September 2019 to December 2020, the accused unlawfully had s*xual intercourse several times with his biological daughter aged between 14 and 16 without her consent. The State outline read:
Accused person is complainant’s biological father. On a date unknown but during the month of September 2019, the complainant and her sister were left in the custody of the accused person while the mother went to Johanne Masowe Apostolic Church.
The State alleged that at night the man went into his daughter’s bedroom and raped her.
The prosecutor, Kennedy Madekutsikwa told the court that when the man’s wife returned home from the church service on the following day, the girl revealed the matter to her.
She, however, did not believe her story and instead threatened to assault her alleging that she was lying against her husband. As a result, she did not take any action.
In September 2020, the girl got pregnant and she informed her mother who again, did not take any action.
The court further heard that despite the complainant being pregnant her father continued having sexual intercourse with her until December last year.
The matter came to light when other villagers tipped off the police, leading to the arrest of the man.
