61-Year-Old Sentenced to 60 Years for Raping Nine-Year-Old
A 61-year-old Gokwe man, Benjamin Sibanda, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison with labour following his conviction for the repeated rape of a nine-year-old neighbour in the Chief Njelele area.
Delicious Mathuthu 
Gokwe - A 61-year-old sexagenarian from Gokwe has been sentenced to 60 years in prison with labour by Gokwe Magistrate, Stanley Mambanje, after being found guilty of repeatedly raping his neighbour's nine-year-old girl.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the sentencing of Benjamin Sibanda on March 18, 2026, marking one of severe penalties recorded in the district for crimes against minors.
During trial, Prosecutor Fatima Tekera told the court that Sibanda, a resident of the same village as the victim in the Chief Njelele area, targeted the juvenile on three separate occasions beginning February 24, 2026.
Taking advantage of the absence of the girl’s parents, who were attending to their crops in the fields, Sibanda reportedly forced the victim to his homestead while she was left caring for her five-year-old brother.
"The suspect Benjamin Sibanda took advantage and approached the victim, forced her to accompany him to his homestead and raped her," said Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko, the Midlands Provincial Community Relations Liaison Officer.
The perpetrator further ensured the child's silence through intimidation, threatening to assault her if she disclosed the matter to anyone.
The cycle of abuse continued until the third occasion, when the victim’s mother returned unexpectedly from the fields and caught the old man in the act.
The subsequent report to ZRP Gokwe led to Sibanda’s immediate arrest and fast-tracked trial.
In passing the sentence, the court pointed to the the gravity of the breach of trust and the extreme vulnerability of the victim.
"A crime of Rape is committed if a male person has an intimate act with a female person and, at the time of the act, the female person has not consented to it," Inspector Mahoko clarified, reiterating the statutory basis for the heavy sentence.
The conviction follows a period of heightened police activity in the Midlands Province, where law enforcement has been balancing a surge in violent armed robberies with a "zero tolerance" approach to gender-based violence and the exploitation of minors.
Officer Commanding Police in the Midlands Province, Commissioner Patson Nyabadza, speaking to members of the Christian Community Police Network in Gweru recently, expressed concern over rape cases involving juviniles, usually by close family amembers or trusted individuals, warning guardians to put measures to ensure the safety of the girl child.
