Tanyaradzwa Chigumbu.

A 32-year-old man from Gweru, has been sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison by the Gweru Regional Court after being convicted of two serious charges: rape and robbery. The man, identified in court as Prince Kwidini, is accused of attacking a 24-year-old woman on the morning of September 10, 2026.

According to the prosecution, the victim was walking along a dusty road near Sheasham, close to Regina Mundi High School, on her way to work in Gweru’s central business district around 9 a.m. when she encountered the accused. It is alleged that Kwidini introduced himself as Tafadzwa and was carrying a stick. After asking the victim for her phone number and receiving a refusal, he reportedly became violent, assaulted her with his fists and the stick, and dragged her to the side of the road, where he raped her without her consent.

In the second charge, Kwidini is accused of searching the woman’s handbag and stealing US$60 before fleeing the scene. A taxi driver helped the victim along the road and took her to ZRP Gweru Central to file a report. She was subsequently referred to Gweru Provincial Hospital for a medical examination, and a medical report was presented in court as evidence.

Unfortunately, the stolen money was never recovered.

Kwidini was charged with rape as defined in Section 65 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act [Chapter 9:23] and robbery as defined in Section 126 of the same Act. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the rape charge and three years for the robbery charge, with the sentences to be served concurrently.