Beitbridge man sentenced to 20 years for rape of woman on funeral journey
A 33-year-old man from Beitbridge has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the rape of a 38-year-old woman who was en route to a funeral. The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) released a statement detailing the incident, which occurred on March 9, 2024.
According to the NPAZ, the accused emerged from the bush armed with a sjambok and attacked three women who were making their way to a funeral in Chief Staudze’s area, Beitbridge, at approximately 8:30 pm.
The three women escaped in different directions, but the accused followed the complainant caught up with her snatched her cell phone, and demanded ƨǝxuɑl intercourse with her at knifepoint.
He fled from the scene after raping the complainant once when he threatened to kill her if she made noise.
“When the complainant’s companions found her, she narrated her ordeal and they went to the funeral where the elders assisted in reporting the incident to the police who along with the locals conducted a search party. The accused person was arrested after they tracked his shoe tracks leading to his residence. The stolen cellphone, okapi knife, and shoes he was wearing when he committed the crime were recovered,” reads the statement.
