A 21-year-old Harare man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for raping two women and committing three robberies.
Tinashe Maruta received 20 years for each of the two rape counts and 10 years for each robbery count, with two of the robbery sentences running concurrently, when he appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Estere Chivasa.
Maruta and his accomplice, Frank Mafati, who is now being held at Chikurubi Psychiatric Unit, targeted unsuspecting victims in Whitecliff, Zvimba area, armed with a machete and an unidentified pistol.
They robbed and raped multiple victims, including a couple, and stole valuables worth US$95, including cellphones and cash.
During the trial, Maruta claimed he had a medical condition that made it impossible for him to have sex with women without causing their deaths. However, medical examination reports disproved this claim.
Mrs Chivasa said the State proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and there was overwhelming evidence presented before the court that Maruta was guilty.
Ms Heather Muwokoto proved that on January 24, 2023 at about 7.30pm, Maruta and his accomplice sought shelter at a nearby shed since it was raining.
During that time, the complainant, who was on her way from work, alighted from a commuter omnibus at the White House west of Harare and sought shelter at a nearby bus terminus near a tuck shop, since it was still raining.
She asked for a plastic bag from the tuck shop attendant to cover her cellphone which she was given and she later decided to go home whereupon the two criminals followed her.
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About 200 metres away from the bus terminus, one of the two grabbed her handbag from behind and produced an unidentified pistol and ordered her to move towards a maize field where they stole her valuables and took turns to rape her.
In another charge, Ms Muwokoto proved that on February 7, 2023 at around 8pm, Maruta and Mafati, while armed with a machete and an unidentified pistol, proceeded to a footpath between Pfugari Shopping Centre and Whitecliff South, Zvimba where they followed a couple that was coming from work.
They terrorised the couple, assaulted them and ordered them to follow them into a nearby pre-cast wall and they complied.
They took away their cellphones and made them lie down, sealed their mouths and tied their hands with sellotape.They covered the man with a skirt and took turns to rape his wife in his presence. They then left after committing the act and the couple managed to untie each other and walked home naked.
The court heard that on the following day at around 7am, while the woman was taking a bath, she discovered that one of the accused persons, who was tall, had sexually assaulted her with stones after raping her. The victims filed reports at the nearest police stations and were medically examined.
Investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons and the stolen cellphones were recovered.
