Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Repeated Sexual Assault of a Minor
The Zvishavane Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 34-year-old man to an effective 20-year prison sentence for raping a 16-year-old relative twice.
Delicious Mathuthu 
Zvishavane - A 34-year-old man from the Chief Chingoma area in Mberengwa has been sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison following a double conviction for the sexual assault of a 16-year-old relative.
The Zvishavane Regional Magistrates’ Court delivered the sentence on Tuesday, concluding a case characterised by the use of lethal threats to silence the victim of domestic child abuse.
The court heard that the first assault occurred in February 2026 at a shared homestead.
The offender summoned the minor to his bedroom, locked the door and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her.
Following the act, he reportedly used an axe to threaten the victim's life should she disclose the matter to anyone.
The second assault took place later that month when the offender followed the victim into a nearby forest while she was gathering firewood.
The matter remained hidden until March 16, 2026, when the victim informed her stepmother of the repeated assaults, leading to an immediate police report and the subsequent arrest of the offender.
"The law will not only punish the act itself but also the psychological trauma and intimidation used to silence young victims within their own family circles," the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said in an official bulletin.
The Magistrate sentenced the man to 20 years for each count as the sentences are to run concurrently, he will serve an effective 20-year term.
