A 48-year-old man from Shashe outside Beit Bridge was slapped with an effective 20-year imprisonment sentence on Friday for raping a local 13-year-old girl on five different occasions.

Madubeko Tlou pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape, but was convicted by the local regional magistrate, Mr Owen Tagu.

The prosecutor, Mr Johannes Tlou, said during February, Tlou went to the home of the complainant’s parents and raped her on five different occasions during the absence of her parents. It was testified that when Tlou tried to rape the girl for the sixth time, she ran away and reported the matter to the elders, who in turn made a police report, leading to Tlou’s arrest.

The complainant was subsequently taken to the local hospital and a medical report was compiled, confirming that she had indeed been raped.

In another case, a 25-year-old local man was fined US$500 or 12 months in jail for sleeping with a 15-year-old girl. Trymore Lismati Hlambale, who was initially facing a rape charge, was, however, convicted of a lesser charge of contravening Chapter 9:23 of the Criminal Law (Reform and Codification) Act (sleeping with a minor) by Mr Tagu. Hlambale was acquitted of the rape charge after the court failed to secure enough evidence linking him to the allegations.

The charge against Hlambale was that on 28 August last year at around 15:00 the victim was with Hlambale at her family home in Beit Bridge. She was in the process of cleaning her bedroom when Hlambale walked into her room. He then allegedly grabbed the girl and ordered her to remove her pants. The girl, however, tried to scream and Hlambale pulled out a screw driver and threatened to stab her, after which he raped her.

The complainant, however, did not report the matter until January this year when her parents noticed some behavioral changes, prompting them to investigate. The girl was then taken to the local police station where, on being questioned by a female police officer, she revealed that she had been raped, leading to Hlambale’s arrest. A medical examination, which was conducted at the local hospital, confirmed that sexual penetration had taken place.