Rapist sentenced to 54 years in prison

A 36-YEAR-OLD okapi-wielding Esigodini rapist, who went on a series of sex attacks on two schoolchildren and a teacher between January and November this year, has been jailed for 54 years for four counts of rape and another count of robbing his victim of a mobile phone.

Judah Moyo of Nqama village, under Chief Mathe, Sikiti area in Esigodini, had pleaded not guilty but was convicted by regional magistrate Mark Dzira due to overwhelming evidence.

Moyo will, however, spend 46 years in prison after eight years were suspended on condition he is not convicted of a similar case within that period.

In his judgment, Dzira said he was convinced Moyo, who was only arrested in November this year had been positively identified by all the three victims.

"All the crimes were committed during daylight, all the three spoke of an okapi knife which was recovered from you, your shoes, the clothes you wore and it is no coincidence that the you were found to have sustained the same injuries the third complainant had inflicted you," he said.

"They were credible witnesses and they managed to identify you as the person who raped them."

In handing down sentence, Dzira said cases of rape were on the increase with women across the country calling for life sentences on rapists.

"What's aggravatory in this case is that you used a specified weapon in perpetrating these crimes, an okapi knife," he said.

"Not only did you use it to threaten them but you stabbed one of the victims twice.

"Our society does not need people like you."

The magistrate also took time to thank one Ability Nyathi of Mtshazo business centre, who masterminded Moyo's tracking and subsequent apprehension.

"If he had not put that extra effort you would not have been here, maybe by today you would have raped more women.

"His work is highly commendable."

Moyo raped two Form Four students from Dula Secondary aged 16 and 17 in January and October this year before raping a 38 year-old-teacher from Sibona in November.

He was arrested a day after raping the teacher after villagers tracked his bicycle tyre marks and shoe print to Sikiti village, where they effected a citizen arrest.

He was sentenced to 16 years for raping each of the school pupils and 20 years for raping the teacher twice and another two years for robbing her of her Nokia cellphone.

Moyo's neighbour, Lindani Ndlovu testified that he had tried to sell the stolen phone to him the day he was arrested.

Moyo remained unremorseful urging the court to be lenient on him, as he had not committed any of the crimes.

Johannes Tlou appeared for the State.