Zim GBC News | Crimes and Courts
GWERU – A 26-year-old man from Lalapanzi has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after the Gweru Regional Court convicted him of raping two Grade Two pupils in a bushy area near Tokwe Village.
The horrific attack occurred on September 22, 2025, around 2 PM, when Itai Makore ambushed the girls, aged six and eight, as they walked home from school. The court heard that Makore chased away boys who were accompanying the girls before dragging the minors into nearby bushland.
Prosecutor Eggrina Matutu told the court that Makore threatened to kill the children with a knife if they screamed. He then proceeded to rape the six-year-old and forced the eight-year-old to perform oral sex.
After the assault, Makore ordered the traumatized children to collect their schoolbags and return home. The victims immediately reported the ordeal to their parents, leading to his arrest. Medical examinations later confirmed sexual abuse in both cases.
During sentencing submissions, Prosecutor Matutu condemned Makore’s actions as “brutal and predatory,” emphasizing the lifelong impact on the young victims.
“These young victims will carry the emotional scars for life. The courts must send a clear message that such barbaric conduct will not be tolerated,” Matutu told the court.
She urged the judiciary to impose a stiff penalty, describing the offences as “deliberate acts of cruelty perpetrated on defenseless children.”
According to court reports, Makore, who is unemployed, showed no remorse throughout the trial proceedings.
Regional Magistrate Sibongile Marondedze sentenced him to 15 years for each count of rape, ordering the terms to run concurrently for a total of 30 years imprisonment. In her ruling, she emphasized the court’s duty to protect minors from “heinous and traumatizing” crimes.
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