A Zimbabwean woman from Svosve village outside Beit Bridge was jailed for an effective 12 years, after forcing her neighbour´s 14-year-old son to have sex with her.

Maud Diya (32) of Masomera pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated indecent assault, but local regional magistrate Ms Gladys Pise convicted her of the offence. Pise sentenced Diya to 18 years in jail, but set aside six years on condition of good behaviour.

It was testified that Diya, who is married to an octogenarian in the same village, had sex with a Grade 7 boy when the boy´s mother was away. Under Zimbabwean law, a woman is not capable of committing rape, but can be charged with indecent assault.

The prosecutor, Mr Charles Tsangadzaoma, proved that Diya initially went to the boy´s house on two occasions and fondled his private parts. She then approached the victim on the third occasion when his mother had gone away for medical treatment and fondled him, before being intimate with the boy.

The court heard that the boy first received instructions on how to have sex with a woman.

The three incidents, according to Tsangadzaoma, occurred in April. On all the occasions, the court heard, Diya would ask the boy whether his mother was present before sexually abusing him. The offence came to light when the boy narrated the situation to his cousin, who stayed in a nearby village.

Diya denied the charges, saying it was the boy who had coerced her into having sex.