A fight between two Form one friends in Bulawayo exposed a deep, dark rσpe secret that had been kept hidden for five years in a shocking turn of events.
The incident occurred when a 13-year-old rαpe victim became embroiled in an argument with her best friend and classmate over a textbook. The heated exchange resulted in the disclosure of a long-buried family secret.
Thamsanqa Nsingo, now 20, rαped his then-eight-year-old cousin in 2018. At the time of the crime, Nsingo was only 15 years old.
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The incident happened in April 2018 when the victim was playing with her male cousins in one of the bedrooms. Nsingo followed her into the blankets, undressed her, and rσped her. One of the cousins who witnessed the crime reported it to Nsingo’s father, who beat him with a belt as a form of discipline.
The matter was then resolved within the family, and it was kept secret from everyone outside.
However, in December 2022, the victim confided to her friend that she had been rσped by her cousin when she was in Grade 2.
Unfortunately, during a fight over a textbook this year in 2023, her friend let slip the secret that she had been told in confidence.
The friend allegedly said it out as a way to hurt her friend during an argument.
The incident was heard by a teacher who later reported it to the school’s guidance and counselling teacher, who then alerted the police.
Nsingo was arrested, tried, and found guilty of the crime. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Magistrate Mabeza said Nsingo had committed a terrible crime and took into account that he was a first-time offender who had pleaded guilty to the crime. The judge also noted that Nsingo had committed the crime while he was still young and immature and susceptible to peer pressure.
The incident highlights the importance of speaking out against sexual abuse and the need for children to be taught about body autonomy and how to report sexual abuse.
