By Noel Chimwala, MANA
Different partners in Mangochi have expressed satisfaction with the recent court sentences meted to Willard Chimwaza, 28 who was handed down a jail term of 42 years for trafficking in person and raping two women.
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The brief account of the offences was that in July, 2021 — posing as an employee from Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) — Chimwaza tricked two young women aged 18 and 22 from Katuli and took them to Mangochi Boma on the pretext that the organization would train and give them economic support.
But at Mangochi Boma, Chimwaza told the women that the training had been cancelled and stranded, the two women found themselves an accommodation as it was late in the night.
According to the state, Chimwaza took advantage of the situation and raped the two women in turns where they had lodged.
He was apprehended early August when he went to Mpita Primary School with the same trick but the headteacher there got suspicious and alerted a child protection officer in the area.
On August 11, 2021 Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate, Rodrick Michongwe, found Chimwaza guilty on both counts contrary to 2015 Trafficking in Persons Act and Section 132 of the Penal Code, respectively.
Michongwe sentenced Chimwaza to 21 years in jail for the count of trafficking in persons; 21 years in jail for first count of rape and another 21 years in jail for the second count of rape.
The two sentences for rape are to run concurrently while the sentence for trafficking in person is to run consecutively with the two rape sentences to serve as a lesson to the convict and other would-be offenders, according to Michongwe.
The conviction and the stiff sentences have excited Mangochi Police and the district’s social welfare office who have since hailed the court for sending warning shots to deter others from committing similar offences.
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“We are satisfied and happy with the judgement; the sentence has shown that our hard work in apprehension and investigation yielded good fruits,” Mangochi Police Station public relations officer, Sub-Inspector Amina Daudi told MANA in an interview.
“All we want is for women and young girls to be protected from all kinds of sexual abuse in our society and we will always ensure that.”
Daudi urged women to become a vehicle for information and awareness by reporting any abuse either sexual or physical.
Mangochi senior assistant social welfare officer, Isaac Machinjiri said the judgement was a success and good development to the social welfare office and Mangochi as a district.
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“People in rural areas should not remain silent — they should go and report to relevant authorities at community level.
“We have community victim support units, child protection committees, mother groups and community police — all these are there to help them,” Machinjiri said.
He observed that although gender-based violence was generally commonly affecting women and young girls, it also affects men and boys, saying the social welfare has received cases where boys have been abused sexually.
The District Social Welfare Office has toll-free lines, #5600 and #116, that can be used to report any kind of abuse for perpetrators to be taken to task.
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