The ManicaPost
Lovemore Kadzura in RUSAPE
A 27-YEAR-OLD Mutasa man who unashamedly quenched his sexual desire on his little nine-year-old sister will spend the next 18 years behind bars.Barnabas Mabvurira, who is a step-brother to the young girl, was convicted of raping her sister by Rusape regional magistrate Mr Livingstone Chipadza, who suspended two years of the sentence on condition of good behaviour.
Mabvurira and the minor girl, who are from a polygamous family, share the same father who has five wives.
Mabvurira’s mother is third and the victim’s mother is fifth.
Interestingly, Mabvurira, who is a married man, is of the same age with the minor girl’s mother.
The minor girl’s mother told the court that on April 14, 2013, Mabvurira lured her daughter into his room promising her honey, but went on to rape her. She further said after the act he skipped the border into Mozambique and only resurfaced this year.
The girl’s mother shocked the court and even up to now she is not willing to report the matter to police since it is an abomination to report sexual defilement according to their Johane Marange Church doctrine.
She further told the court that it was not Mabvurira’s first time to commit the same offence in the family as he had deflowered another sister, but the matter was swept under the carpet. The matter was only reported to the police by a concerned villager. The young girl does not go to school.
In sentencing Mabvurira, Mr Chipadza had no kind words for him saying his moral blame-worthiness was very high.
“Your moral blame-worthiness is very high in this case. You regard the victim as your sister, but you turned yourself into a villain and sexually molested her. It is also immoral for a brother and sister to have sex. In our culture it is also an abomination to do so,” he said.
Mr James Wirima prosecuted.
