News / National
Woman jailed 12 months over false rape claim
15 Jul 2022 at 09:06hrs | Views
A WOMAN from Mahatshula North, Bulawayo, has been slapped with a 12-month prison term for making a false rape claim against her husband Doswell Mupundu (52) to spite him.
After falling out with her husband, Sipho Majahana (38), also known as Zanele Moyo, opened a docket claiming that her husband had raped their nine-year-old daughter.
The idea was, however, to spite him for assaulting her.
Majahana, who was facing charges of defeating the course of Justice, was convicted on her own plea of guilty when she appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Gamuchirai Gore on Tuesday.
Gore sentenced her to 12 months in prison, of which eight months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
The remaining four months were also suspended on condition that she performs 140 hours of community service at Queens Park Police Camp.
Prosecutor Sehliselo Khumalo told the court that on March 19 this year, Majahana made a false report to the police alleging that her husband, Mupundu had raped their daughter.
On April 29, Majahana and her minor daughter went for trial and were separately interviewed by regional prosecutor Patience Sibanda who had been assigned to handle Mupundu's alleged rape case.
In a separate interview, the child revealed that she was never raped, but was instead coaxed by her mother to lie against her father.
Majahana was cross-examined and she stated that she had lied to her sister, Lucy Masuku that Mupundu raped the child hoping that Masuku and her friends would team up and beat up her husband for assaulting her.
She later deposited an affidavit saying she had made a false report about the rape case.
Majahana also claimed that on the night she made the false report to the police, she was drunk.
After falling out with her husband, Sipho Majahana (38), also known as Zanele Moyo, opened a docket claiming that her husband had raped their nine-year-old daughter.
The idea was, however, to spite him for assaulting her.
Majahana, who was facing charges of defeating the course of Justice, was convicted on her own plea of guilty when she appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Gamuchirai Gore on Tuesday.
Gore sentenced her to 12 months in prison, of which eight months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
The remaining four months were also suspended on condition that she performs 140 hours of community service at Queens Park Police Camp.
On April 29, Majahana and her minor daughter went for trial and were separately interviewed by regional prosecutor Patience Sibanda who had been assigned to handle Mupundu's alleged rape case.
In a separate interview, the child revealed that she was never raped, but was instead coaxed by her mother to lie against her father.
Majahana was cross-examined and she stated that she had lied to her sister, Lucy Masuku that Mupundu raped the child hoping that Masuku and her friends would team up and beat up her husband for assaulting her.
She later deposited an affidavit saying she had made a false report about the rape case.
Majahana also claimed that on the night she made the false report to the police, she was drunk.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
