Zvitsva Pleads Guilty To Rape, Attempted Murder, Robbery; Judgment Set For 20 May

A 35-year-old man from Guruve pleaded guilty on Thursday, 14 May, to 10 charges, including attempted murder, rape and robbery.

Anymore Zvitsva appeared before Harare regional magistrate Francis Mapfumo. He faced five counts of attempted murder, four counts of rape and one count of robbery.

Zvitsva remained calm during proceedings as the court held a pre-sentencing inquiry. Judgment is set for 20 May.

During mitigation, some complainants told the court they wanted him sentenced to death, jailed for life or given corporal punishment.

Responding, Zvitsva said, “My mindset was not like that because I never grew up doing these things, but I later started committing crimes involuntarily. I can’t deny the pleas of complainants because they were pained by my actions.”

Public prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti urged the court not to impose a single global sentence. He argued the offences were too serious and varied to be treated concurrently.

He cited S v Sparks 1972 (3) SA 396 (A), which says: “Punishment should fit the criminal as well as the crime, be fair to the State and to the accused and be blended with a measure of mercy. The sentence must not have the effect of breaking the offender.”

Zvitsva is expected to face separate murder charges in the High Court. The regional court is dealing only with the attempted murder, rape and robbery charges.

The State said on 9 October 2025, a 27-year-old woman was asleep in her room at Ditwi Village, Chiwe Farm, Raffingora, Mashonaland West. Zvitsva allegedly broke in armed with an Okapi knife and snare wire.

The court heard he threatened to kill her if she screamed, tied her hands and legs with wire, and dragged her to Dangemuri Mountain thickets, where he raped her once. He then allegedly stabbed her in the back and neck before fleeing.

On 27 October, the court heard Zvitsva attacked a 62-year-old woman at Mudhindo Village under Chief Bepura in Guruve while she was fetching water. He allegedly hit her with a machete, raped her and strangled her with a wire, leaving her unconscious.

The same day, Zvitsva allegedly attacked Brian Ngoshi as he walked home from Kachuta Business Centre. The court heard he struck Ngoshi twice on the head with a machete, strangled him with a wire and robbed him of a cigarette lighter and a packet of Madison cigarettes.

In court, Zvitsva said: “I simply asked to use his cigarette to light mine, and he refused, saying, ‘What if you are an armed robber?’ and I became angry and started attacking him and stole his items.”

The court also heard that on 18 November 2025 at Mupinyuri Village under Chief Chipuriro in Guruve, Zvitsva allegedly stabbed another complainant with a spear.

In a separate case, he allegedly attacked a woman with a log and strangled her with a wire.

He also raped a 14-year-old girl. The court heard he tied her with shoelaces and forced her to Nyakapupu Mountain, where he raped her three times. The assault reportedly stopped when a passerby chasing baboons with an air gun saw what was happening, and Zvitsva fled.