Man claims to be in love with 10-year-old

A 31-YEAR-OLD Lupane man shocked the courts on Friday when he claimed that he was in a love affair with a 10-year-old Grade 4 pupil he is accused of having raped.  He argued that she had consented.

Never Ndlovu of Lupane said he had proposed love to the minor and she had agreed to sleep with him before he handed her a dollar.

"Your honour, the complainant and I are in love. I was surprised to hear that I had raped her when in actual fact we agreed to have sex," said Ndlovu, who appeared before Hwange regional magistrate Mrs Dambudzo Malunga.

He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment of which two years were suspended for five years on good behaviour.

The court heard that sometime in July 2014 at around 10am, the minor was alone at home when Ndlovu approached her and proposed love before telling her that he would give her $1. She accepted the proposal since she had been promised a dollar and the two made arrangements that Ndlovu would visit her during the night.

That night at around 8pm, the minor's cousin went out to see her boyfriend, leaving her alone.

Ndlovu then went into the bedroom hut where he found her sleeping and got into her blankets before asking her to have sex with him, to which she complied.

After the act, Ndlovu gave her $1 as promised and told her not to disclose what had happened to anyone.

The child took the money to school and while attempting to buy some sweets, her class teacher asked her where she got the money.

She told her that Ndlovu had given it to her but did not disclose why. However, the suspicious teacher continued to monitor her and discovered that her behaviour had changed.

On 10 November the teacher questioned her again and this time she narrated everything. The teacher took the matter to the headmaster who then made a report to police leading to Ndlovu's arrest.

Mr Tawanda Sigauke appeared for the State.