Mutare – A chilling case of incest has left villagers Chimanimani, leaving villagers grappling with the disturbing reality of a taboo broken within a family. The case, which unfolded in a Mutare Magistrates Court, involved a 30-year-old man and his 17-year-old aunt, who were charged with sexual intercourse within the prohibited degrees of relationship, a crime punishable under Zimbabwean law.
The details of the case, which emerged in court, are both disturbing and heartbreaking. The prosecution alleged that the accused persons engaged in sexual intercourse on an unknown date in January 2024.
My Zimbabwe News has learn that the seemingly ‘bota-starved’ man, who is a nephew of the teenage girl, offered her US$1 for two rounds of unprotected ‘lula lula’, which she accepted. The pair agreed to keep the matter secret, but the truth eventually came to light when the young woman discovered she was pregnant.
The court heard that the incident took place in the family’s kitchen hut, with the rest of the family members in the main house, separate from the kitchen hut where the act occurred. This kitchen hut and main house separation, a common practice in rural areas, allowed the pair to carry out their illicit short time sex transaction in secrecy.
The case highlights the devastating consequences of incest, which can have profound psychological and emotional impacts on both the victims and their family. The young woman, who was just 17 at the time of the incident, is now facing the challenges of an unwanted pregnancy and the stigma associated with having a child with her brother’s son.
The accused were sentenced to 12 months in prison, with six months suspended for five years. The remaining six months were suspended on condition that they complete 210 hours of community service, a sentence that has been met with mixed reactions from the community.
While some believe the sentence is too lenient, arguing that the crime warrants a harsher punishment, however others, however, argue that the accused have already suffered the consequences of their actions, and that the focus should now be on providing support to the young woman and her unborn baby.
“Tete nemuzukuru vakamitisana, and soon they will have their child to look after. So giving them a harsh penalty will further disadvantage he innocent yet to be born child who should be born in about three months from now,” reasoned Sekuru Matimango of Chimanimani.
