15 years in prison for enjoying lula lula in the bush with his new girlfriend!

A 34-year-old man from Mapondo Farm in Raffingora has been jailed for 15 years after enjoying lula lula with his ‘new girlfriend’, a 12-year-old Grade 6 pupil he had met at the farm.

The Chinhoyi Regional Court heard that the man met the girl at Stick 1 at Mapondo Farm in August this year and proposed a romantic relationship, which was, unfortunately accepted. The child is still at primary school where she is currently doing her Grade 6 studies.

On 18 September, the man contacted the girl while she was in Chitungwiza for school. He persuaded her to travel to Raffingora and offered to pay her bus fare. The girl left Chitungwiza without telling her mother.

Two days later, on the evening of 20 September, the man arranged to meet her. At about 7pm, they met in a bush area, where he had lula lula with her.

The offence came to light on the same day after a family member found messages from the man on the child’s phone. The discovery prompted relatives to intervene and a police report was made.

The girl was taken for a medical examination, and the investigation led to the man’s arrest. He was later convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The case is among a number of recent Zimbabwean child sexual abuse matters in which offenders have received lengthy prison terms. In several of the cases, the victims were approached by men they knew, or were led to isolated places through promises, requests for help or offers of gifts.

In Bulawayo, a 48-year-old man from Njube suburb appeared before regional magistrate Lungile Ncube facing a rape charge involving a 13-year-old learner.

Misheck Mugande was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to 1 October. He was advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

The court heard that the girl was invited to town by Mugande, who allegedly told her that he wanted to give her money. Prosecutor Charmaine Mutapi said the promise persuaded the child to travel into town and meet him at his workplace.

“Being enticed by the money, the complainant rushed to town and met the accused at his workplace,” said Ms Mutapi.

The court heard that Mugande gave the girl a bank card to buy food. When she returned, he allegedly asked her to accompany him to his car, where he began caressing her.

The girl tried to restrain him, but the prosecution said he continued and told her that she could not refuse because he had bought her food.

“When she returned, the accused asked the minor to accompany him to his car, where he started caressing the complainant. The girl tried to restrain the accused, but he continued, telling her that she could not refuse as he had bought her food,” said Ms Mutapi.

The court heard that Mugande later raped the complainant.

Two days later, the girl’s aunt entered her bedroom and found her naked while she was applying Vaseline to her body. The aunt noticed a black line across the child’s stomach and became suspicious.

“Her aunt observed a black line across her stomach and she became suspicious and told her that she was pregnant, but the complainant refused. After that, she enquired from artificial intelligence and it showed her that the black line across her stomach was a symptom of pregnancy,” said Ms Mutapi.

The aunt then took the girl for pregnancy tests, which confirmed that she was pregnant. The matter was reported to the police, leading to Mugande’s arrest.

The Bulawayo case comes as courts across the country continue to deal with reports involving schoolgirls and teenagers. In one case heard in September, three men were each jailed for 15 years in separate matters heard in Bulawayo, Karoi and Gwanda.

A 25-year-old man from Nkulumane, Bulawayo, was sentenced by the West Commonage Magistrates’ Court for raping a 16-year-old girl from the same neighbourhood. The court heard that on 11 July, at about 6pm, the girl was walking home after fetching water from a community tap when the man called her to his house.

Once she entered a room, he ordered her to bend and touch her toes before raping her. He then told her to leave. The girl went home and told her sister, who took her to the police. The report led to the man’s arrest and conviction.

In the second case, the Karoi Regional Magistrates’ Court sentenced a 25-year-old man from Dhadhanzi Farm to 15 years for raping a 15-year-old girl.

The girl had been looking for cattle on 25 July when she met the man. He stopped her while pretending to ask for directions to a nearby village. As she gave him directions, he tripped her to the ground, covered her mouth and raped her. She escaped and reported the attack to the police.

The third matter involved a 41-year-old man who was sentenced by the Gwanda Regional Magistrates’ Court to an effective 15 years for rape, with a further six months for robbery. The court heard that he met an 18-year-old girl near Sigaba Village under Chief Nyangazonke as she walked to school.

He told her that he had lost US$20 along the footpath and asked her to help him search for it. After walking with her for about 100 metres, he produced a knife and threatened to kill her. He raped her and took 100 Rand and a cellphone valued at 900 Rand. The girl reported the attack to her grandmother, who accompanied her to the police.

Another case in Mutare resulted in a 34-year-old man from Mutizha Village, Odzi, receiving an effective 17-year prison term after attempting to rape his 15-year-old relative.

The court heard that the man had first made romantic advances to the girl, which she rejected. On 9 December 2025, he approached her grandmother and claimed that he wanted to give the teenager a cellphone. The grandmother persuaded the girl to accompany him to his home to collect it.

Once inside the house, he pushed the girl on to a mattress and attempted to rape her. She fought back and bit him, forcing him to abandon the attack. She later told her mother, and a report was made at Sakubva Police Station. The court imposed a 20-year sentence, with three years suspended on condition of good behaviour, leaving 17 years to be served.

The recent cases show how children have been isolated through promises of money, food, transport, gifts or assistance before being taken to private or secluded places. In the Raffingora matter, the victim was lured from another town with an offer to pay her bus fare. In Bulawayo, the prosecution said food and money were used to gain access to a young learner. In Odzi, a cellphone was offered as the reason for taking a teenager to a man’s home.

The sentences have followed investigations in which relatives, siblings, guardians and other family members reported what had happened. In the Raffingora case, messages on the child’s phone exposed the contact. In Bulawayo, the girl’s aunt noticed signs that led to medical tests and a police report. In the other cases, the victims or their relatives reported the attacks, allowing police investigations to proceed.

The Raffingora sentence means the man will spend 15 years in prison for the attack on the 12-year-old child. The Bulawayo proceedings are continuing, with Mugande due back in court on 1 October.