A 61-year-old man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison with hard labor for the repeated rape of a nine-year-old girl in the Midlands province.
The convict, Benjamin Sibanda of the Chief Njelele area, was found guilty by magistrate Stanley Mambanje at the Gokwe magistrates court following a trial on March 18, 2026.
Midlands provincial police spokesperson inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the heavy sentence, which followed a series of attacks on the juvenile victim.
The court heard that Sibanda targeted the girl on three separate occasions while her parents were away working in their fields.
The ordeal began on February 24, 2026, when the girl was left at home to care for her five-year-old brother.
Sibanda reportedly lured the child to his homestead, where he raped her and threatened her with physical assault if she disclosed the abuse.
The cycle of sexual violence continued until the third incident, when the girl’s mother returned unexpectedly from the fields and caught Sibanda in the act.
The matter was immediately reported to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Gokwe, leading to Sibanda’s arrest.
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Mahoko characterised the conviction as part of the police’s commitment to addressing the rape of minors and ensuring that perpetrators of such “heinous acts” face the full weight of the law.
