Armed robbers, child abusers deserve severe penalt...

Armed robbers, child abusers deserve severe penalties, says Mnangagwa

Zim Now Writer

As the country records a spike in cases of violent crimes such as armed robbery and abuse of women and children, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said Zimbabwe’s justice system must consider stiffer sentences for the offenders.

In a speech read on his behalf by Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi during the official opening of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) sentencing conference in Kadoma yesterday, Mnangagwa said the development of sentencing guidelines will increase the public’s trust, faith and confidence in the criminal justice system.

“The sentences imposed by our courts must reflect the dynamics of what is taking place in our communities. It is important that there is a correlation between the criminal justice system and the reasonable expectations of society.

“The protection and promotion of public safety must be understood to be the primary purpose of the criminal justice system. Where violent crimes such as armed robbery and abuse of women and children are on the rise, the country’s abhorrence must be reflected in the punishments meted out on those found on the wrong side of the law.”

The country has recorded a rise in the number of cases involving sexual assault on minors with the case of the nine-year-old Tsholotsho girl who was impregnated by a 13-year-old cousin and has since given birth topping the list.

The other case is that of the eight-year-old Bindura girl who was also raped and is seven months pregnant now. Two 17-year-old boys were arrested in connection with the case, and they were released into the care of their parents until the girl gives birth and DNA tests are conducted to ascertain the father of the baby.