By Decide Nhendo
A man from Masvingo is in trouble with the law after he was dragged to court for bedding his 12-year-old sister-in-law claiming the minor was given to him by his wife who had failed to bear children.
Masvingo Regional Magistrate Bishard Chineka remanded the accused out of custody for sentencing on February 7, 2023.
The accused pleaded not guilty and said he was only staying with the girl and it was his wife’s idea to take her young sister as wife so that she could have children in her place when the minor turns 18.
“I did not have sex with the complainant but she came to my house as my fourth wife because her sister had an arrangement with her parents that she had to bear children for me in her position, and we were going to have children after she turned 18,” said the complainant.
The court was told that in August 2023, the complainant was brought to accused’s homestead when she was 12 years old by her sister who is third wife to the accused so that she could have children with accused in her position as she could not bear any children for the accused.
It is alleged that the accused started to sexually abuse the complainant who was doing grade five.
It is also alleged that the matter came to light when the complainant’s brother came to accused’s homestead to settle some disputes with his third wife, sister to complainant in December, 2023.
After the deliberations, the complainant then followed his brother and told him that the accused was abusing him, and the brother went on to report the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the accused.
State was represented by prosecutor Liberty Hove.
