BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
A 21-year-old Victoria Falls man has been sentenced to perform 525 hours of community service for having sex with a minor, who eventually fell pregnant.
Thamsanqa Sibanda, who was employed at a butchery at the Mfelandawonye suburb, was convicted by magistrate Linda Dzvene for having sexual intercourse with a minor.
Prosecutors said sometime in June last year, Sibanda proposed love to the 15-year-old girl and she accepted.
Between June and October, the two had sexual intercourse on several times at a storeroom at the butchery where Sibanda was employed.
The matter came to light in December when it was discovered that the girl was pregnant, leading to her lover’s arrest.
Dzvene said before arriving at an appropriate sentence the court took into account Sibanda’s plea of guilt and that he was a first time offender.
“In the instant case, the accused is 21 years old while the complainant is 15, there is so much age disparity and this is aggravating,” she said.
“The fact that the complainant got pregnant as a result of the sexual act is also aggravating.
“She is now faced with motherhood at a very early age and the courts have the duty to protect young girls against sexual predators, hence I have disregarded the fine as an option or jail sentence as the two were genuinely in love.
“And considering the fact that the accused is a youthful offender and has accepted his responsibilities, it is in my view that it will be to no one’s benefit to send the accused to jail as it will be too harsh.”
Sibanda was handed 18 months imprisonment of which three months imprisonment was suspended for five years while the other 15 months was altered to 525 hours of community service at Chisuma Clinic.