Form One Pupil Rescued After Abduction For Forced Marriage To South African-Based Man

A 40-year-old man from Odzi was sentenced to a decade behind bars for attempting to force a 14-year-old girl into marriage with his South Africa-based son.

Lovemore Sithole was arrested at Sakubva Bus Terminus as he prepared to board a bus to Chipinge with the girl, whom he had taken from her parents’ home in Odzi without their knowledge.

Sithole appeared before the Mutare Magistrate’s Court on Friday, charged with trafficking in persons under Section 3 of the Trafficking in Persons Act.

Regional Magistrate Pathekhile Msipa found him guilty and handed down a ten-year custodial sentence.

Prosecutor Perseverance Musukuto told the court that Sithole, who lives in Arda Transau, Odzi, had no familial relation to the girl, who is a Form One pupil at a local school.

The court heard that on the evening of December 20, 2025, Sithole took the teenager from her home with the intention of taking her to Chipinge to marry his son.

The girl’s parents, alerted by a tip-off, tracked the pair, resulting in Sithole’s arrest before the journey could continue.

More: The Manica Post

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