A 30-YEAR-OLD member of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) was yesterday slapped with an effective 40-year imprisonment jail term after being convicted of raping and infecting his 14-year-old housemaid with the deadly HIV virus.
CHARLES LAITON,SENIOR COURT REPORTER
The soldier, Obert Muziri, of Mbare, Harare, is said to have sexually attacked the girl on two occasions, after the minor was brought to his house by his wife as a maid.
The girl was offered employment after being found wandering at Mbare Musika where she got lost on her way to Dzivarasekwa from Nkayi.
Regional magistrate Simon Rogers Kachambwa, however, castigated Muziri’s denial of the offence and actions, saying he had put the minor’s life into jeopardy.
“The evidence before the court is very clear. He imposed himself on a helpless minor and infected her with a sexually transmitted disease and he is attempting to hide behind his alleged marital problems with his wife and that he intended to marry the complainant,” Kachambwa said while delivering judgment.
“He lied that he could get her a job in the ZNA knowing well she was just a minor. There is no doubt that he intentionally infected her with a sexually transmitted disease. She contracted HIV.”
Kachambwa slapped Muziri with a 20-year jail term for the two counts of rape that were treated as one for purposes of sentence and another 20 years imprisonment jail term for deliberately infecting the girl with HIV.
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At one point, the court heard Muziri raped the girl in the presence of his children aged four, one-and-half and 10 months.
The court heard Muziri started his sexual abuse on the girl on September 26 last year — a day after his wife had brought her into the house.
On the day in question, Muziri is said to have intruded into the spare bedroom where the minor was asleep and raped her once.
As if that was not enough, the following day when his wife was away, he again awoke the girl early in the morning and ordered her to watch pornographic videos on his laptop after which he again raped her.
However, the girl later managed to contact her Nkayi relatives who gave her directions to her Dzivarasekwa relatives where she reported the matter to her brother leading to Muziri’s arrest.
