A Zimbabwean man, Walter Maponga, has been jailed for 15 years for raping his 56-year-old mother-in-law in her bedroom while her 94-year-old mother watched helplessly.
Maponga, 37, from Mandaza Village, Zimbabwe, carried out the attack on September 17, 2025 in Makoni Village, Mhondoro, Zimbabwe.
A regional magistrate court in Harare presided over by Jessie Kufa found Maponga guilty of the offences laid against him.
Kufa agreed with the state prosecutor, Blessed Songozo, that adequate evidence was placed before the court to establish a prima facie case against the convict.
The prosecution said the complainant was in her bedroom with her elderly mother when Maponga forcefully entered and launched the assault.
Maponga reportedly demanded sex the moment he gained entry into the room, even as he repeatedly hit the woman to intimidate her into submission.
The convict reportedly blamed his mother-in-law for the problems he was having with his wife.
Maponga accused his mother-in-law of taking his wife away from him and not allowing him to enjoy deserved intimacy with her.
He said if he could not have it with his wife, he would have it with her mother, forcing the woman to the ground and stripping her.
The commotion drew the attention of some men in the neighbourhood, identified as Godfrey Makoni and Cleopas Nziramasanga, who rushed into the room to pull Maponga from on top of his mother-in-law.
The men prevented the convict from escaping from the crime scene. He was handed over to the police.
The entire rural Mhondoro community was shocked by the brutal nature of the crime. The elders of the community supported the state to ensure that justice was served in the matter.
They believe that handing out punishment to Maponga would serve as a deterrent to others who might want to indulge in similar anti-social behaviour considered as an abomination in most African countries.
