The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
A Nyanga 17-year-old orphaned minor (name withheld) who had been taken in as a Harare man’s second wife has been rescued by a Nyanga traditional leader and has since resumed school.
The minor is in Form Two.
It is understood that the minor’s grandmother and aunt had connived with a neighbor to marry her off to a Harare-based dealer.
The three women were fined five goats each and were warned against promoting child marriages.
Twenty-four-year old Hosiah Mitimutema will have to pay a fine of one beast in the event that he impregnated the teenager.
The matter has also been referred to the police for further handling.
The legal age for sexual consent in Zimbabwe is 18 years and therefore having sexual relations with anyone younger than that is a criminal offence.
Those found guilty of statutory rape may be slapped with a custodial sentence with the maximum being imprisonment for up to 10 years.
The Manica Post understands that the Nyanga statutory rape case was only revealed after a local community health care worker reported to the authorities that the minor was missing with suspicions that her grandmother, Grace Chimhungwe, was involved in her disappearance.
Acting Chief Saunyama
After investigations, Acting Chief Saunyama’s messenger of court had to travel to Harare where it was discovered that the minor had already been married off to Mutimutema as his second wife.
She was taken back home in Nyatate.
Appearing before Acting Chief Saunyama, Chimhungwe begged for forgiveness.
“When your messenger of court called me enquiring about the whereabouts of my grandchild, I lied that she had visited some relatives in Hauna. I erred and I beg for the court’s forgiveness.
“She is an orphan and I thought that if she gets married she will be able to take care of us. I am sorry for being ignorant of the law,” begged the senior citizen.
Chimhungwe allegedly connived with her daughter, Selina Tangwena, and neighbor Annette Mutimutema to marry off the minor.
Tangwena introduced the minor to Hosiah, a week prior to them eloping to Harare; while Annette helped in giving them safe passage.
Narrated the teenager: “I only knew Hosiah for a few days before we eloped together. I started talking to him using my aunt, Selina’s phone and when he finally came for the church gathering here, Hosiah told me we were leaving together.
“We left the next day. I had only been in Harare for a week when the messenger of court rescued me. I erred by going with him and I am sorry. I did not know what to do because when we met at our suggested rendezvous, he told me that he had come with a car to transport me to Harare as his wife.”
Hosiah was in default.
Acting Chief Saunyama referred the minor to the clinic for pregnancy tests.
The chief, however, had no kind words for the three women who assisted in marrying off the minor.
“If this child is an orphan, does it mean that she should be denied her rights? This shows just how negligent you are. You do not care about her. If you let her continue with her education, she will look after you in the future.
“Day and night Government is preaching about how girls and boys should be in school and yet you are disregarding it. If you cannot look after these children, I will adopt them and look after them so they can go to school from my homestead,” said Acting Chief Saunyama.
“The issue will now be handled by the police because we want to send a clear message to would be offenders to desist form from promoting child marriages.
“Every child has the right to education and paedophiles should be punished accordingly,” said the traditional leader.
