Zimdancehall artist Joseph “ChiGudo” Mutamba jailed 14 years for rape

By Zvikomborero Parafini

Zim Dancehall artist Joseph Chihomuhomu/Chigudogudo Mutamba was yesterday sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping a 14-year-old girl who was a fellow tenant at his place of residence.

Chihomuhomu was convicted after a full trial by regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya.

In his ruling, Mujaya castigated Mutamba for being a musician who claimed to sing against child marriages, but went on to take advantage of the trust the child had in him and raped her.

The State led by George Manokore proved beyond reasonable doubt that the complainant was at their shared home when Mutamba called her and asked her to sweep his room for him.

The court, through the complainant herself, heard that the complainant agreed as Mutamba would give her some money. When the complainant entered the room, she asked Mutamba to leave the house and he went outside.

While the complainant was sweeping, Mutamba suddenly came back into the house and locked the door from inside.

It was proved that Mutamba then suddenly produced a knife and told the complainant to drink some juice which was in a glass on the table threatening her with a knife.

After the complainant had finished the drink, Mutamba once again forced her to smoke some dagga which he was smoking and when the complainant tried to resist, Mutamba once again threatened her with a knife.

Mutamba then told the complainant to lie on the bed and he went on to remove all his clothes and raped her.

When the accused finished, the complainant’s mother started looking for her and started knocking the accused’s door.

Mutamba shoved the complainant into his wardrobe threatening her with a knife; however, the complainant’s mother managed to search the house and found the complainant in the wardrobe.

The complainant then told her mother that she had been raped by the accused person and her mother then made a complainant with the police leading to Mutamba’s arrest.

Mutamba denied the allegations claiming that the complainant’s mother was fabricating as it appeared that she wanted him to marry her daughter and also tried to discredit the witness saying that she was of loose morals as she had been married three times and even had abortions.

He was sentenced to 18 years in prison and four were suspended on condition that he doesn’t commit a similar offence in the next five years. H-Metro