By Promise Dube
The community of Ward 7 Insiza South in Matabeleland South has been shocked to learn that a 13-year-old girl was sexually abused and impregnated by her guardian.
According to authorities, this crime occurred in July of last year, but the suspect was only arrested on February 9 after the matter came to light.
The 30-year-old suspect served as the teenager’s guardian while her mother was in South Africa.
Sources who know about the matter told CITE that the girl was supposed to have enrolled for Form One at a local secondary school but due to lack of finances, she did not proceed.
“The girl’s mother is in South Africa and she stays with three males. Two of the males are over 18 and the other one is below 18 but is not going to school. The man who impregnated her is 30 years old and was her guardian,” claimed the source.
Contacted for comment, acting Matabeleland South Provincial Police Spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni confirmed that police arrested a male suspect involved in the matter.
“This happened in July 2023 and the suspect has since been arrested and taken to court,” he said, adding that in such matters, police do not delay because “children are a priority.”
Last year, in a similar case that shocked the country and beyond, a nine-year-old girl from Tsholotsho gave birth after she was impregnated by her 13-year-old cousin, as confirmed by DNA tests.
This incident last year came after another 13-year-old girl from Mkhosana Township in Victoria Falls wrote part of her Zimsec Grade Seven examinations at a hospital after giving birth.
