Man (26) gets 20yrs behind bars for raping niece (16)

A Bulawayo teenage girl (16) is now a mother of a six-month-old baby, a result of sexual abuse by her uncle.

The girl testified before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mrs Judith Zuyu that her uncle started abusing her when she was in Grade Three.

The abuse took place in a Bulawayo suburb.


The final straw was in December 2010 after he raped her while she had been left at his residence while her parents were away.

It was after the mother had taken her to a doctor that it was discovered that she was pregnant and when questioned, she revealed that her uncle had raped her leading to his arrest.

The uncle, now aged 26, pleaded not guilty to rape, but was convicted and jailed for an effective 20 years in jail.

Giving him the maximum sentence, the magistrate noted with concern that he abused his brother's child and that he never showed contrition for what he did as he told the court during his trial that they were in love.

What he did, the court said, had created enmity within the family members and the act would not only remain as a reminder to the victim but to the family as a whole.

The prosecutor, Mr Jabulani Mhlanga, proved that sometime in December 2010, on a date unknown to the prosecution, the uncle raped his niece who was 15 years old by then.