AN HIV–positive Harare man who raped and infected two minors with the virus has been slapped with a 40–year jail term after he was convicted of the offence by a Harare regional magistrate.
Phillip Chidavaenzi
Darlington Yolofasi (43) will, however, serve 35 years after regional magistrate Fadzai Mthombeni suspended five years on condition that Yolofasi does not commit a sexual offense.
Yolofasi was convicted on all three counts of rape although he had pleaded not guilty to the offence and sentenced to 20 years in jail on all the counts. The sentence on the second and third count will, however, run concurrently.
In her ruling, Mthombeni said the matter was aggravated by the fact that Yolofasi was HIV positive.
“This is a very sad case where there are two innocent children condemned to death by the accused person’s behaviour,” she said. Yolofasi and his two victims, both aged 10, stayed at the same house in New Canaan, Highfield.
Sometimes in 2012, Yolofasi, who was self–employed, asked the complainants’ aunt, Linnet Tayo, to let her nieces sleep in his room while he went to work during the night. He then handed over the key to his room to Tayo who, subsequently, instructed her nieces to sleep in Yolofasi’s room.
One of the victims slept on the bed, while the other one was on the floor.
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Yolofasi came back home during the night and got into his bed to sleep. He woke up the girls and instructed them to strip off their clothes while he removed his own clothing after which he raped them.
After the incident, he continued to rape the teenagers several times on different occasions.
After the matter came to light, a report was made to the police, leading to his arrest.
