Paedophile gets community service sentence for incest

A 62-YEAR-OLD paedophile who twice impregnated his daughter has avoided jail after being given a community sentence.

Twisted Killion Moyo was not charged with rape after deflowering his daughter who was aged just 13 and had to drop out of school in Grade 7.Instead, prosecutors in Esigodini charged him with incest, which attracted the lesser sentence.

Magistrate Lungile Ncube sentenced him to just 420 hours of community service, immediately drawing fire from children's rights activists.

The sentence was "an absolute insult", fumed gender activist Lindile Ndebele, the former regional manager of Musasa Project.

"This decision takes us two steps back in terms of emancipating women. It's only been a few days after we joined the whole world in commemorating International Women's Day, and such a decision demoralises us as women," she stormed.

"The court decision in a way legalises the abuse of women and children as it sends the wrong message to hundreds of men who are sexually abusing their vulnerable children or relatives.

"A sentence of 420 hours community service is an absolute insult to women's rights. It encourages men to continue raping children and women."

The vile fiend, a self-proclaimed traditional healer, also impregnated two other teenagers in the small village of Bezha, Umzingwane District.

He threatened to send lightning to strike the girls and any villagers if they disapproved of his depraved lifestyle.

He told magistrate Ncube that he was not the biological father of the girl with whom he has two children. After being briefly separated from his late wife, he claimed, she returned home with a daughter.

He claimed his wife, who died in 1990, had "tormented" him in dreams and instructed him to "marry someone from the family" to take her role in rituals the two used to perform during their "healing" ceremonies.

To appease his wife's spirit, he said, he was forced to pay lobola to his late's wife's mother - for her niece's hand in marriage.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of having "sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship" under Section 75 subsection 2(J) of the Criminal Law – Codification and Reform Act which prohibits sexual relationships with the children of a spouse or former spouse.

Ncube sentenced Moyo to 12 months in prison which were wholly suspended on condition he performs 420 hours of community service at Zhilo Primary School in Esigodini.

The magistrate told him: "An option of community service will send a warning message to the community."

Prosecuting Acumen Khuphe said they could not lay rape charges against Moyo as there was no evidence to prove there was use of force during intercourse.

The girl could also not make a statement to the police as her whereabouts are still unknown.

Moyo, who started serving his sentence yesterday, has two children aged four and three with his daughter from the incestuous relationship.

A neighbour's daughter also has Moyo's children aged eight and five while another girl who reportedly fled to neighbouring South Africa, has a three-year-old child with the traditional healer.

Moyo was arrested on Monday after Chronicle exposed the abuse.