By Vanessa Mutirori
MAZOWE, Zimbabwe – A 36-year-old Mazowe man was sentenced to 60 years in prison Wednesday for repeatedly raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter.
The court heard that the assaults happened on four different occasions between August and September while the girl was in his care in Mazowe.
In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said the man used violence and threats to stop the girl from reporting the crimes.
“The offender used threats of violence to silence the victim,” read the statement in part.
During the attacks, he used dangerous objects to frighten her.
He “threatened the victim with an axe, held pliers to her mouth and used a knife to scare her,” continued the statement.
The abuse was discovered after the victim told a 15-year-old friend what had happened.
The friend informed the victim’s mother, and the two escorted the victim to file a report at the police station.
This case is part of a growing number of serious crimes against children in Zimbabwe.
In a separate case, another man from the Chief Makoni area was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping his niece, who was a Grade 7 pupil.
