By Elizabeth Nyaguyo
A Shamva man Steven Butawu (29) sexually molested a 13-year-old minor (name withheld) after luring her with an assortment of sweets he bought for her.
Cases of men raping adolescence girls are on an increase mostly in rural areas due to lack of exposure and to poverty.
The girls fall prey to little things like sweets and biscuits resulting in rape and early childhood marriages.
Speaking during Chief Bushu’s traditional court hearing, the minor said she was raped by Butawu at his brother’s house since the two were not yet in a relationship.
“I can say that this was rape because this man and I were not yet officially boyfriend and girlfriend because I had not yet said yes to his proposal. What happened was that I used to play with his brothers who are my age mates, so he took advantage of that and he started buying sweets for me,” she said.
She narrated, “one day he took me to his brother’s place that is when he raped me once and instructed me not to tell anyone about it and he threatened to kill me if I disclosed the matter.”
She added that Butawu deceived her by telling her that he was not married and still single.
“He lied to me that he was single and that he did not have a wife. He also lied that he was still staying with his brother. He told me all these lies so that he could sleep with me,” she said.
Butawu denied the allegations saying that the minor was fabricating the story and that he did not know the girl.
“What this girl is saying is not true because I remember I was arrested for this same issue. I do not know anything about this. The day she says I raped her, I was having a good time with her father who is my friend,” denied Butawu.
Handing down his judgement, Chief Bushu ruled that Butawu pays in reparation seven cattle, five of which would go to the minor’s family.
The matter came to light after the minor’s parents reported the case before Chief Bushu’s court.
