Bulawayo man faces 20 years in prison for enjoying lula lula with his new girlfriend every morning before her final exams

A 50-year-old Bulawayo man has appeared in court charged with rape after prosecutors alleged that he had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl who was sitting her Grade 7 public examinations.

Crispen Sithole appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Sibongile Marondedze. He was not legally represented. The magistrate advised him that he could apply for bail at the Bulawayo High Court and could engage a lawyer at his own cost.

Sithole was not asked to plead. He spoke only to confirm the allegations he was facing. He was remanded in custody until 23 October. If convicted, Sithole faces up to 20 years in prison, as most rapists get custodial sentences ranging from 15 to 20 years.

Prosecutor Karen Gundani told the court that the girl and Sithole were in a relationship, which they allegedly began on 5 September. Gundani said the pair met at a flat where the girl lived, and Sithole proposed a relationship to her.

“On 5 September the accused met the complainant at a flat where the minor stays, and proposed love to her and she accepted. On the same day they had sexual intercourse,” the court heard.

The court heard that the girl later visited Sithole at his home. Prosecutors said those visits affected her attendance at her examinations, as she delayed leaving his home and arrived late to sit the papers.

“The minor would report late for her Grade 7 public examination as she would delay leaving the accused’s home,” the court heard.

The allegations came to light after the girl’s mother noticed that she was missing from her room during the night. Her mother looked for her at home and, when she could not find her, began making her way to a police station.

The girl returned while her mother was on the way. Her mother questioned her about where she had been. The girl then disclosed that she had spent the night at Sithole’s home, which she described as her boyfriend’s place.

Her mother reported the matter to police. The report led to Sithole’s arrest and the rape charge now before the court.

The case places the girl’s school examinations alongside the court’s account of the alleged relationship. Prosecutors said she was taking Grade 7 public examinations during the period when she visited Sithole. The court heard that she would be late because she stayed at his home for longer than intended.

The reported sequence began on 5 September, when the pair allegedly met at the flat. The prosecutor said the relationship was proposed and accepted on that day, and that they had sex. The girl later went to Sithole’s home, including on the night her mother searched for her. The mother’s discovery and report to police were followed by the arrest.

Sithole’s appearance before Marondedze dealt with the charge, his representation and his next court date. No plea was taken at the hearing. The matter was postponed to 23 October, and the man remained in custody after the appearance.

Two other cases reported in Zimbabwe since April involved men and under-age girls, though the circumstances and court outcomes differ. In July, a 28-year-old man from Mt Zuma, Odzi, was sentenced after engaging in repeated sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl. The National Prosecuting Authority said the girl was from Nyazura and that the man had lured her into what it described as a purported love relationship in May. On 21 June, he took her to his home, where they lived together as husband and wife and had sex on three occasions. The prosecution bulletin placed the encounters at his residence. Her father traced her whereabouts and reported the matter to police on 29 June, eight days after she had been taken to the home.

The Mutare Magistrates’ Court sentenced the man to 30 months in prison. Twelve months were suspended, leaving an effective custodial term of 18 months. The case was reported on 27 July.

A separate case in September involved a 19-year-old man convicted of attempting to rape a 16-year-old pupil in Chimanimani. The incident was reported to have taken place on 15 September at Satiya Village, under Chief Muusha. The man approached the girl along a forest pathway and proposed a sexual relationship, which she rejected. He then grabbed and dragged her into the forest and tried to rape her. She escaped after biting his left thumb, and sought help at a nearby homestead.

The Chipinge Regional Magistrates’ Court initially sentenced the man to 15 years in prison, with five years suspended for five years, leaving an effective 10-year term. Unlike the Bulawayo case, it concerned an attempted rape and did not involve a claimed relationship between the accused and the girl. The sentence was reported on 15 October.

In Bulawayo, the next listed date for Sithole’s case is 23 October. The allegations presented in court concern a 13-year-old girl, her Grade 7 examinations, and the account her mother gave police after learning that she had spent the night away from home.