Harare – Two Zimbabwean men have been handed lengthy prison sentences for the separate rapes of their former partners, highlighting the ongoing issue of gender-based violence in the country.
In Plumtree, a 38-year-old man will spend 15 years behind bars after being convicted of raping his ex-wife. The crime occurred on January 22, 2021, when the man ambushed his 28-year-old ex-wife as she walked home with friends. He chased away her companions and forced her into a nearby bush.
The court heard how he threatened her with a knife, ordering her to undress before raping her without protection. Following the assault, he attempted to abduct her, intending to smuggle her into South Africa against her will. However, upon learning that her family was searching for her, he relented and, using a borrowed bicycle, returned her to her family home. The victim bravely reported the incident to the police, leading to his arrest and subsequent conviction in the Plumtree Regional Magistrates’ Court.
In a separate case, a 36-year-old man in Mutare has been sentenced to an effective 18 years in prison for raping his ex-girlfriend. The Mutare Magistrates’ Court handed down a 20-year sentence, with two years suspended for five years, for the crime committed in Dangamvura.
The court was told that the pair had been in a relationship from October 2023 to April 2024, which the victim ended due to his violent behaviour. Despite the breakup, the man continued to force himself upon her, prompting her to seek a protection order, which was granted on January 2, 2025.
In a brazen act of defiance, just hours after being served with the protection order, on January 3, 2025, he stormed her home, dragged her to a disused house, secured the door with barbed wire, and raped her. The victim managed to escape while he was sleeping and reported the crime to the authorities.
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