MDC-T MP Welcomes Mandatory Sentences For R

MDC-T member of Parliament, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (Proportional Representation), has welcomed the proposed Mandatory Sentencing for R_pe and S_xual Offences Bill, saying it will be part her legacy if it is passed by the Legislature.

The Bill is one among several announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the official opening of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament on Tuesday last week. Said Misihairabwi-Mushonga:

If that Bill is brought before Parliament, it will solve one of the fundamental issues around violence against women.

Some of us (legislators) are about to leave Parliament and if the issue of mandatory sentences for rape is imposed, that will be part of our legacy if this is our last term because we have been advocating for that for a long time.

MPs have for some time been advocating for mandatory sentences for rapists, with some suggesting a minimum of 30 years. Some have even called for the c_stration of offenders.