Zimbabwe Still Sending Consenting Adults to Prison

Even though marriages between first cousins are legal (and common) in much of the word (including being legal in many US states) and always have been, the authorities in Zimbabwe think it is a great use of government resources to prosecute and imprison cousins for the "crime" of loving each other. Here's a report from southereye.co.zw...

Benedict Daka and his cousin Michelle Daka appeared before the Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Dube, where they pleaded guilty to incest.

Benedict was slapped with 15 months imprisonment, but he will serve nine months after six months were suspended on condition that for the next five years, he does not commit a similar offence.

Michelle was sentenced to a 15-month prison term with six months being suspended on condition that she does not engage in a prohibited relationship. The remainder of her term was suspended on condition that she performs 315 hours of community service at Western Commonage Police Station.

And who is the victim of their "crime?" Oh, that's right. There is no victim.

In their defence, the couple mentioned that they were so much in love with each other and could not stay apart.

They shouldn't have to.

Prosecutor Kenneth Shava told the court that Benedict approached his cousin, whom he stayed with in 2012 and proposed love to her.

She accepted the love proposal and soon Michelle was expecting their first child.

Michelle’s mother, Sibonisiwe Nyoni, said she realised that there was something amiss and set out to investigate.

So Sibonisiwe is the rat. Too bad she didn't read this. She should be more like this person.

They couple is now expecting their second child. You can assume nothing is wrong with the first child, or that would have been mentioned in the article.

There is no good reason to drag them into the courts and prison. They should be free to marry, if that is what they want, and protected against haters.

Zimbabwe Sending Consenting Adults to Jail

From iharare.co.zw comes this report that two consenting adults have been sentenced to jail for having sex.

A Mbare brother and sister have been thrown behind bars for the next 12 months for having prohibited sexual intercourse-incest. 

The pair was caught red handed in the act by another family member before they were taken to the police.

They were ratted out by family. They shouldn't have to hide, but where bigotry still prevails, precautions are a good idea. 

 Tendai, 30 and Nyaradzai, 22, of Zengeni family were brought before Mbare Magistrates’s court answering to a charge of having sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship.

That shouldn't even be a crime. They should be free to be together and marry, if that is what they want.

All their hopes of getting an out of custody were shattered after the presiding officer Magistrate Anita Tshuma condemned their conduct. 

I wonder if everyone approves of every aspect of Tshuma's love life?

In passing sentence, the Magistrate described the pair as lovers in a serious relationship who had not repented after they were caught red handed in December last year. Their conduct has proved that they can not change thus they need a custodial sentence so that they are separated from each other.  although they came clean and pleaded guilty,the Magistrate slapped them with 24 months imprisonment, 12 months were then suspended conditional they do not commit the same offence in five years.

Outrageous.

The State proved that the two were having unprotected intercourse on several occasions before they were suspected of the affair by their brother Edward and their stepmother Chipo Mungeni.

Perhaps someone was jealous? Family members and friends should read this.

Further circumstances are that Edward and the mother confronted them, of which they denied the act.All hell broke loose when they were caught red handed caressing each other on May 17 at around 10pm.  

Oh, no, caressing each other! We can't have people actually being affectionate, can we? What a waste of law enforcement resources. Let them out and let them be! This is another example of why we need full marriage equality worldwide.

Cousins Can't Love Each Other Because it Makes Gay Babies

Or so says someone by the name of  Ropafadzo Mapimhidze writing at newsday.co.zw about the cruel treatment (including criminal conviction) recently of a couple of consenting adults in Zimbabwe, prosecuted for loving each other while being first cousins. You know, like hundred of millions of other people throughout history and alive today and legally married.

This story has generated so much debate and I decided to do a bit of research on reasons why incest is taboo, and why incest occurs despite the prohibition. And what the consequences are.

Where this is taboo, it is because of superstition, ignorance, legislative inertia, and control. It happens anyway because consenting adults love each other more than they pay attention to following unjust laws.

Such children can be born with extra toes, three eyes, and they can also grow to become homosexual, they may also have a low IQ and a potential to mentally harm future offspring, says the website. It also notes that such children can become people who are not able to interact with others or express love.

First of all, they were not prosecuted for having children. They were prosecuted for having sex. There is a difference. Also, all the columnist described above happens with unrelated lovers, too. In fact, we do not prevent people with obvious, serious, genetic diseases and birth defects from dating, having sex, having children, or marrying. But there are hundreds of millions of children from first cousins who are healthy, attractive, bright, and very social. Finally, there's nothing wrong with being gay.

The New York Times recently reported that first cousins are somewhat more likely than unrelated parents to have a child with a serious birth defect, mental retardation or genetic disease, but their increased risk is nowhere near as large as most people think, the newspaper quoted research done by some scientists.

But who needs scientists when we can listen to bigotry instead?

At least the piece does mention Genetic Sexual Attraction. Then it goes on to...

“Traditionally, such matters were dealt with by chiefs who then would find the rightful people to raise products of incest. We have to go back to our roots and see how best these matters can be dealt with the Zimbabwean way because these children are innocent victims of incest,” Kandiero said.

You know what makes children the biggest victims? When strangers use the power of unjust laws to force their parents apart and break up their home and brand their parents as criminals.

Updates on Two Criminal Cases

A sentence has been issued in this absurd prosecution of two adults in Zimbabwe for loving each other and (gasp!) being cousins! Here's a report from radiovop.com...

Two members of the Feremenga family from Dzivarasekwa Extension in Harare, whose incestuous relationship resulted in two pregnancies, were yesterday convicted and ordered to perform 630 hours of community service at different institutions in the suburb.

Robson (21) and Ashley Feremenga (19), whose fathers are blood brothers, pleaded guilty to incest charges when they appeared before Harare regional magistrate Adonia Masawi and were slapped with a 36-month prison term each.

But Masawi later suspended 18 months of their sentence on condition of good behaviour and again suspended the remainder on condition each of them performs 630 hours of community service.

Got that? If you break up your family, you can stay out of prison. Of course, the bigots in the neighborhood are going to have a field day being sadistic towards you anyway, and we won't stop that. Because, you know, you shouldn't be allowed to love each other.

The court was nonetheless, left in stitches when the two relatives insisted they wanted to stay together as a couple despite the implications of their unlawful relationship.

The cruelty is appalling. First cousins have been marrying for all of human history. Everyone involved in prosecuting these two should look into their heart, if they one, and clear it of this hatred.

The other update is about a case out of Nevada in which there was a sentencing a while back. I don't think the media ever specified the relationship, but my guess would be uncle-niece. This update comes from elkodaily.com reported by Dylan Woolf Harris.

Hughes isn’t specifically appealing his conviction, but instead the district court’s decision to allow prosecutors to use evidence gathered during a search of Hughes’ home. Leading up to trial, the defense filed a motion to suppress on grounds that a search warrant request wasn’t supported by probable cause, but District Judge Nancy Porter held that the warrant was supported and the prosecutor’s evidence was permissible.

The investigation and eventual search of Hughes’ home began in late 2008 after Kimberly Harphant, an acquaintance of Hughes, met with sheriff’s detective Kevin McKinney. She brought with her an unsigned, handwritten letter she said she took from Hughes’ home one day, as well as a prepared document of cut-and-pasted emails between Hughes and the victim.

Harphant had helped Hughes set up a business email account to which she remembered the password, and had lent him a phone. She was retrieving the phone when she found the letter, according to court documents.

The letter appeared to indicate romantic love between two people, but “in addition to a complete lack of attribution, it contains no references to a past or existing sexual relationship,” the brief states. Similarly, the emails’ authors were unverified and didn’t mention sex.

The appeal brief asserts McKinney made little attempt to corroborate or verify the items Harphant presented to him.

Interesting.

Update from February 2017.

Zimbabwe Still Prosecuting Consenting Adults

From allafrica.com comes this report of the criminal prosecution of first cousins for the "crime" of loving each other.

Two cousins who were involved in an incestuous relationship which resulted in the birth of a girl and current pregnancy will perform 630 hours of community service. The two's fathers are brothers and traditionally are expected to treat each other as brother and sister. Ashley Feremenga (19) and her cousin Robson Feremenga (21) were living as husband and wife in Dzivaresekwa before neighbours alerted Ashley's father Jonasi.

I wonder what the love lives of those neighbors are like... if they have a love life in the first place. Must not be very fulfilling if they have time to rat people out for loving each other.

I'm sure their child is healthy. Otherwise, you can be sure this report would have noted any problems.

The duo was convicted after their own plea of guilt when they appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Aidonia Masawi who sentenced them to a 36 month-imprisonment term.

What a waste of the court.

Ashley's father Jonasi only came to know about their relationship after being advised by his neighbours.

He filed a police report leading to their arrest.

Rat. The lovers should keep his grandchildren away from him.

Fortunately, very few US states have ridiculous laws criminalizing consensual sex between first cousins. About half of US states will legally marry first cousins, and such marriages are common in many countries today, and have been very common throughout history. Prosecuting consenting adults for loving each other is outrageous.

Zimbabwe Still Prosecuting Consenting Adults

I found this report at newsdzezimbabwe.co.uk and I had a difficult time believing it...

Cousins Patrick Zingwena, 24, and Josephine Muonde, 19, whose love for each other led to a sexual relationship have escaped jail and will have to perform 140 hours of community service.

They are consenting adults. Why should anyone care if they are cousins? First cousins can legally marry in many countries around the word, and such marriages are common. In about half of US states, the bigotry against marriage equality does extend to banning marriage between first cousins, but other states are more reasonable.

The two cousins, who were found naked in bed by another relative, were found guilty of having sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship by magistrate Tsatsawani Ndaba.

So another relative, probably jealous, ratted them out and Tsatsawani Ndaba went through with this farce of a prosecution.

Ndaba had sentenced the two to eight months in prison but suspended four months on condition of good behaviour while the incestuous relatives will have to refocus their sexual energies doing community service for the remaining four months.

Prosecutor Ernest Zhanda told the court that sometime last year, the two cousins were staying with their uncle Jefias in Kuwadzana when he was told that the two frequently shared the same bed.

So what???

The two admitted that they were in love and were having sexual intercourse regularly.

What's wrong with that?

The report then goes on to something with less priority...

Meanwhile, a Harare man who set his wife ablaze after pouring gallons of paraffin on her body was yesterday granted a $50 bail.

Sidwell Nyambirai, 38, was remanded out of custody to May 22 by magistrate Don Ndirowei.

It is alleged that on April 9 this year, Nyambirai set his wife on fire after having a domestic altercation with her.

The woman is said to have been rushed to Harare Hospital’s Intensive care unit where she died 10 days later.

Murder-by-arson takes second billing to consensual sex? 

Attention journalists: Domestic violence leading to murder is real crime. Consensual sex shouldn't be.

Attention lawmakers and law enforcement: Stop the absurdity of prosecuting and otherwise discriminating against adult for consensual sex.

Brothers and Sisters and Pregnancies

Every day, all over the world, regardless of socioeconomic status, siblings are sharing everything from from exploration and experimentation to lifelong spousal relationships. Whether we know it or not, and whether they know it or not, we all know people whose genetic parents are brother and sister. It is that common, and most children born to close relatives are healthy. So the two news items in this update should be no surprise. (By the way, siblings and anyone else involved in a consensual relationship with a close relative who wants to talk with others should sign up at Kindred Spirit forum. But be sure to immediately read and follow the rules, or you'll get kicked right off.)

Raymond Tan reports at the borneopost.com on a criminal case of interest to this blog...

The police here are anxious to determine whether two teenage boys and their sister had committed incest after the 13-year-old girl gave birth to a boy.

The police should only be interested if there was an assault involved. Are those official police uniforms in the picture?

They are now taking the 15-year-old and 17-year-old brothers for medical examination and DNA tests.

Does Boreo have laws against using a turkey baster to insert semen in a case like this? Some places don't. It is a valid defense.

The incident came to light after the children’s father found the girl pregnant in July.

He lodged a police report after she refused to reveal who fathered her baby.

The police might want to take the father in for testing, too, although, unless he's insane, reporting the matter makes it unlikely he did it.

Another Case of Consanguinamory in Zimbabwe

In a tabloid-like news blurb that doesn't identify anyone, we get this...

A man in Zimbabwe has committed the worst crime possible, not once but twice.

Worst crime possible? You mean like genocide?

A resident of a village in Zimbabwe left his mother pregnant with his child for the second time and absconded.

Abandonment is a terrible thing to do, but hardly the worst crime possible.

The mother also allegedly fled the village, according to reports in the British media.

Ah.

About four years ago, the mother and son were fined by their village church after the council learnt that the woman was left pregnant by her son.

That's the real crime... fining people for things that are no business of anyone else.

At that time, the woman had miscarried when she was four months pregnant. Now, history has repeated itself.

The villagers were outraged on learning about the incestuous relationship which has been on since 2008. The woman's husband passed away after a long illness.

If the villagers would mind their own business rather than interfering the private lives of other people, nobody would feel a need to leave.

Now villagers want to hunt and get the duo back to the village and subject them to harsh punishment to send out a signal to the entire community that such incestuous relationships would not be tolerated.

Why? What's the problem? Why don't they focus on their own lives, instead, instead of grabbing pitchforks and torches because two people love each other?

Politician in Zimbabwe Prosecuted Under Incest Laws

In what appears to be a more pressing matter of child support, a politician in Zimbabwe is making headlines for having consanguinamorous relationships. Of course, the headlines focus on "incest." From zimdiaspora.com...

A ZIMBABWEAN politician Fidelis Mhashu, whose wife left for the United Kingdom in 2003 and never came back, says he ended up in an incestuous relationship with his two nieces due to loneliness.

Both cases resulted in the birth of four children.

Mr Mhashu who is also Chitungwiza North legislator and former Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities is now facing charges of engaging in incestuous relationship under Zimbabwe traditional court system in his home area of Mhondoro.

Consensual incest should not be a crime in the first place.

Zimbabwe Arrests Adults For Consensual Sex

In a report at chronicle.co.zw, we see both the prosecution of consenting adults for sex,  a a bias in the media against the lovers.

In a bizarre case, a 38-year-old mother and her son from Gutu have left the whole community in shock after they were caught being intimate during a night prayer vigil.

"Bizarre?" The only thing bizarre is that consenting adults are being prosecuted. What does it matter if other people were praying somewhere? In any given town, there's somebody praying and somebody making love. Sometimes they are the same people.

Appearing before Gutu resident magistrate, Mr Nyasha Vhitori recently, the woman and her 18-year-old son were not asked to plead to charges of incest.

The duo was remanded out of custody to 18 September for trial.

The case should be dropped. Nobody has been harmed.

For the State, Ms Agatha Gabriel told the court that on an unknown date but sometime in July this year, the woman allegedly coerced her son into making love and he consented.

Either it was coerced or it was consensual. The prosecution can't even get their story straight.

The court further heard the two’s illicit sexual encounters, which are believed to have started in April this year, came to light sometime last month.

It is said the two would normally do their sordid act during night prayer vigils and on the fateful day, the two were caught by two minors who were attending a church service at Runyowa business centre.

Privacy is important.

It is said the encounters happened so frequently that the two had lost count of the number of occasions they had been intimate.

Sounds like they are in love and enjoying each other.

They are adults. As long as it is consensual, they should be free to be together. Nobody else has to like it. It is a waste of resources to prosecute them. An adult should be free to share love, sex, residence, and marriage with ANY consenting adults.

Consenting Adults Prosecuted, Harassed in Zimbabwe for Love

It is ridiculous that adults aren't free to be together and love each other as they want. See this news...

In a bizarre case, a Domboshava man and his biological mother are reportedly on the run after having an incestuous relationship that culminated in two pregnancies. Simon Matsvara and Ethel Vhangare are from Pote Village under Chief Chinamhora.

Why not let them be? Who are they hurting?

Simon first impregnated his mother while his father Agripah Matsvara was alive and for the second time after his death.

It is alleged that the first time Simon impregnated his mother, she had a miscarriage.

However, this time Vhangare is alleged to be five months pregnant and Simon is responsible.

The pair reportedly fled the community recently after getting news that Chief Chinamhora, Simon Chidziva, had sent his aides to arrest them.

Why arrest them?

Zimbabwe Continues Discrimination Against Consenting Adults

From Zimbabwe comes news that a man was criminally sentenced for consensual sex with his cousin. That's right... his cousin. Even in the US, we don't prosecute for that, though many states still deny cousins the freedom to marry. Just how exogamous does a relationship have to be before the sex police in Zimbabwe leave it alone?

They have a child together now.

They both plead guilty and he was given community service (better than prison, but still ridiculous), but her sentence was put off because of the baby, according to the article.

Why were resources wasted interfering with this relationship? They should be encouraged, not prosecuted, and if they want to be married, they should be allowed.

Zimbabwe Proudly Prosecuting Adults for Consensual Sex

The government managers of Zimbabwe are so proud of the fact that they prosecute consenting adults for loving each other that they tell everyone about it themselves, not relying on independent journalists.

TWO brothers who were involved in an incestuous relationship with their 23-year-old niece appeared in court and admitted to being intimate with her.

Wellington (31) and Nomore Marange (24) of Dzivarasekwa, Harare, appeared before magistrate Ms Bianca Makwande yesterday.

The niece Lucia Mahachi (23) also pleaded guilty to incest.

So, if they are all criminals, who is the victim?

The trio was remanded out of custody on free bail to February 17 to give the State time to amend its papers.

How about the state amend its laws so it doesn’t try to stop consenting adults from loving each other?

The trio was ordered not to interfere with State witnesses and not to commit the same offence.

What century is this again? Some strangers sit there and order other people not to make love with each other in private.

On February 8, Nomore and Mahachi were caught pants down by his elder brother's wife, Manyara Mugwagwa.

Mugwagwa reported to her husband that his young brother was being intimate with a relative.

What, was she jealous?

But the husband, Wellington, instead beat his wife and later went to investigate the incident.

Okay, so did Mugwagwa know her husband was having sex with Lucia, too? Did her husband know Lucia was also having sex with his brother? The article leaves much unexplained. Wellington should be prosecuted for beating Mugwagwa, but the article treats that like it is no big deal. Talk about messed up priorities. Whether or not cheating was involved, the sex should not be a criminal matter. An adult should be free to share love, sex, residence, and marriage with any consenting adults.

Has the Water in Zimbabwe Been Tested?

In Muzarabani, Zimbabwe, a widow is “suspected” of still being a hot momma at age 87 and enjoying the sexual company of her 35-year-old son.

Louisa Chitakure, an octogenarian who lives in Sabhuku Gunduza's village under Chief Kasekete, has stunned the villagers and people of Muzarabani as she is said to be bedding her son Francis Arumendo who is 35 years old, H-Metro reported.

Good for her, especially at that age.

Their relationship has stunned the community and they are calling it taboo and causing the current dry spell to persist because of the rain-‘impeding' taboo relationship.

Seriously?

H-Metro caught up with Francis at Muzarabani Growth Point where he admitted that it was indeed true that he is bedding his mother and two other elderly women.

Francis said, "I enjoy having sex with my mother. The sex is great, and she is the only woman I've enjoyed having sex with."

Hmm. Not sure how the other two women are going to take that.

Francis also said, "We have been having sex for as long as I cannot remember." However, Francis' mother vehemently denied that she is having sex with her son saying that people who hate her were the ones going around telling the story.

At this rate, he’s going to be without a woman at all, since it appears he’s saying things that would upset all of them.

She also said that: "Francis says that because he is a bit mentally challenged so you cannot ENTIRELY believe what he says because he is mentally challenged."

If the numbers are right she was 52 when he was born.

These two need some tips about how to deal with the news media. Kissing and telling without permission is a problem, and her statements about him could have been worded better.

If they are enjoying each other that way, it is nobody else’s business.

Another Reason to Avoid Zimbabwe

A recent entry I wrote on Zimbabwe prompted me to get around to this news item about a father-daughter relationship. Considering we’re talking about a country in which two men can be imprisoned for simply holding hands, it shouldn’t be surprising that consanguinamory is subject to prosecution.

A man Nyamweda Village in Mhondoro has admitted to having an incestuous love affear relationship with his daughter for the past 16 years and siring her child in a case that has set tongues wagging in and around the district.

The man - whose to protect the identity of the child - initially denied the charges when he appeared before a chief's court on July 27.

He, however, gave in after being presented with overwhelming evidence.

This is described as a love affair, not a rape. So why is it a crime? It appears to me to be a lasting marriage situation.

Chief Nyamweda of Nyamweda Village - who presided over the case - last week confirmed fining him three beasts. He said the matter was also reported to Norton Police.

"The matter was brought to my attention. We subsequently deployed investigating officers who brought them before my court," he said.

Later on, the article says that neighbors turned them in. Why can’t people stay out of the relationships of others?

"During the trial, the two denied the charges, but later revealed they have been in love for the past 16 years."

Information gathered last week indicates the incest began after the man's wife died.

The daughter - who was 16 years old at the time - later gave birth to a son who is now 15 years old.

The age of consent in Zimbabwe, at least for heterosexual or lesbian sex, is 16. This is not a matter of rape, cheating, or pedophilia. This is a lasting relationship.

Chief Nyamweda said the man's fine would be used to appease "the spirit mediums of the land".

Really?!? Did they say they were upset? I guess we should be happy the lovers aren't being burned at the stake.

There was no indication that the daughter was anything but a happy, willing participant. There is no indication that their son has suffered (although he'll suffer now, thanks to bigotry), and I would think the police and the news would have noted those things. So what we appear to have here is a family being broken up and punished for no good reason. Zimbabwe, just like the rest of the world, needs full marriage equality so that an adult can share love, sex, residence, hand-holding, and marriage with any consenting adults.

Adult Cousins Jailed in Zimbabwe

Can you believe this?

A 39-year-old man and his 23-year-old cousin were on Tuesday thrown into jail for incest. Newman Moyo and Progress Mlalazi of Qhubekani Village in Filabusi pleaded guilty to charges of having sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship or incest when they appeared before Filabusi resident magistrate Shillah Nazombe.

First cousins, usually heterosexual couples, have the freedom to marry in much of the world, including some states in the US. It is quite common in some cultures. This is so absurd that these two are being prosecuted.

The magistrate convicted them before sentencing Moyo, who is married, to 12 months in jail. Four months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.

Assuming Moyo was cheating rather than in an open or polyamorous or dead marriage, it still shouldn't be a criminal matter.

Mlalazi was given an eight- month jail term of which two months were suspended for five years. The remaining six months were suspended on condition she performs 210 hours of community service at Sidzibe Clinic.

Did Moyo's spouse turn them in? We don't know for sure. We only know this...

On August 7, Moyo and Mlalazi’s grandfather, Sunboy Moyo suspected that Progress was pregnant. He interrogated her and she revealed that she had been impregnated by Moyo.

I don't know why this is a criminal matter.

Lamenting Incest in Zimbabwe

Joel Mapaura laments how things are in Zimbabwe these days. Among the problems he cites are emigration, murder, political quarreling, indifference of leadership, limited utilities service, the cost of living, unemployment rates, and low wages.

It is sad that these days you find parents with a family of eight (8) grown up children of opposite sex crammed in a single room with the aim of cutting on accommodation costs. This partly explains why the country is recording a sharp increase in incestuous relationships.

Hmm. Maybe. But I’ve had multiple experiences during which I have spent day after day crowded into a room with people (school, work) and never wanted to have sex with any of them. Other times, there were some I did want to have sex with, and some of them I did have sex with. But it was usually after we went off to less crowded places. The difference? Mutual attraction. Some people are attracted to some of their close relatives, and some of those enjoy consanguinamory or at least consanguineous sex with them. It happens even when you have two siblings living in a mansion with parents who are hardly ever home. The siblings don’t need to share a room, but they want to share a bed. Stop looking for something to blame for such encounters or relationships. They don’t need to be excused, because they aren’t inherently wrong in the first place.

And rape and child molestation, which are wrong, happen in various conditions; don't excuse rapists because they are poor.

He goes on to lament “the drastic fall of Baboon and Monkey population in Gonawapotera Mountain” as a result of hunting,

Maybe Zimbabwe would be better off if LGBT people and consanguinamorous people could live their lives freely and openly without prosecution or bullying.

Consenting Adults Sentenced to Prison For Having Sex

Half siblings are being imprisoned in Zimbabwe for having consensual sex.

A man from Shabulana village in Lupane who had an affair with and impregnated his own sister twice has been slapped with a 36-month jail term for incest.

The sister was also sentenced to 15 months for the same offence.

Khumbulani Lunga (28) and Kristin Sibanda (18) share the same mother though they have different fathers.

From March last year to March this year, the two consented to having a sexual relationship which resulted in Sibanda falling pregnant twice, although she miscarried on both occasions.

The matter only came to light after the pair’s relatives noticed that Sibanda had had a miscarriage.

Why would the relatives rat them out to police?

Both Lunga and Sibanda pleaded guilty to incest when they appeared before Lupane magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba.

The magistrate convicted and sentenced Lunga to 36 months in jail and suspended six months of the sentence for five years on condition of good behaviour.

Sibanda was sentenced to 15 months in jail, wholly suspended on condition she performed 525 hours of community service at Tiki Primary School in Lupane.

It should not be a crime in the first place.

In passing a lengthy jail term, the court considered that Lunga was formally married but cheated his sister into an incestuous relationship.

Cheated her? No quote from his wife. Perhaps that marriage was over, or perhaps it was open or they had some other arrangement? I don't see why his marital status is relevant to the criminal case.An adult should be able to legally have sex with any consenting adults.

Prison For Consensual Sex in Zimbabwe

It is 14 months in prison for a consanguinamorous couple in Chitungwiza.

Tafadzwa Zwawapu (21) who sired a child with his aunt Sharon Nyautarisi (17) was convicted alongside the mother of his child.

The two were initially slapped with 24 months in prison but ten months were suspended for five years on condition the duo does not commit a similar offence.

He’s not allowed to have sex with the mother of his child?

In December last year, Sharon gave birth to a bouncing baby boy and when Tafadzwa was interrogated he revealed that he was the one who had sired the child with his aunt. This confession led to his arrest.

Why? What exactly is the problem? Obviously, the law there is not concerned about her age, as she was prosecuted as well. This is a matter of prejudice against consanguineous sex. They should be encouraged to raise their child, rather than being locked up in prison.

Teens in Love

A seventeen-year-old boy and a sixteen-year-old girl in Zimbabwe have fallen in love and are starting a family together. This made the news because they are half-siblings and were dragged into court.

I found this story over at Incest News.

The girl, who is now eight months pregnant, was however lucky to escape a jail sentence after the court warned, cautioned and discharged her while herco-accused will receive four strokes for the offence.

Four strokes? What, no burning at the stake?

The two were convicted on their own plea of guilty when they appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Mr Shepherd Munjanja, for contravening section 75(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23, having sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship.

Please Mr Shepherd Munjanja, how about not punishing people for being in love?

Mrs Fiona Denhere, for the State, told the court that the two were staying in their parents’ house and were related as half sister and half brother.
Sometime in 2008 the two got into a relationship after the boy proposed love to the half sister.

The girl, who was doing form two at a local school, is understood to have
accepted his proposal.

Please, Mrs Fiona Denhere, I'm sure there are people raping other people in your jurisdiction, and people molesting children. Don't waste time with consensual sex.

When asked by the court why they committed the offence the two shocked the court when they said they deeply loved each other.

Won't they all be better off if they can get married, rather than punishing them and denying them marriage equality?

Here's Saturn's coverage at Incest News.

Liz Smith had a good comment...

It's simple - If they deeply love each other that much, they should be allowed to be together, especially if the sister is pregnant. These rules against consensual incest need to be removed.

That would be the fair thing to do. Consanguineous love should not be a crime, if it is a matter of consent. These two were young, but they were close enough in age.