A 29-year-old man from Clifton Park in Gweru has been sentenced to 31 years in jail following his conviction for multiple counts of robbery and rape.
The National Prosecuting Authority on July 3, 2024, said that Obert Ncube appeared before the Gweru Magistrate’s Court facing three counts of robbery and two counts of rape.
The court heard that on 05 March 2023, Ncube and two accomplices, who remain at large, accosted a 28-year-old woman walking home from the local grocery store.
Ncube blocked her path, drew an Okapi knife, and forcefully took her Huawei Honor cellphone valued at US$60.
The accused and his accomplices then took the woman to a nearby bush, where an argument ensued.
While his accomplices wanted to kill the woman, Ncube insisted on raping her, which he proceeded to do while his accomplices watched.
The woman managed to escape and hid in a pit until the following morning when she reported the incident to the police.
On 06 August 2023, Ncube raped his girlfriend’s 18-year-old friend, a Form 4 student, at knifepoint.
On an unknown date, he lured a sex worker, pretending to hire her services, and then dragged her to the railway line, where he robbed her of her Infinix Hot 12 cellphone, valued at US$165, and raped her multiple times overnight without protection.
Ncube was arrested on 17 September 2023, for a separate rape case and was found in possession of the third complainant’s Infinix Hot 12 cellphone. The third complainant positively identified Ncube as the perpetrator.
On 18 September 2023, the first complainant also identified Ncube when she brought food for a relative detained at the holding cells.
Ncube was sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison for counts 3 to 5. The complainants in counts 1 and 2 could not be located on the day of the trial.
More: Pindula News