HARARE – A primary school headmaster has been jailed for raping an orphaned Grade 7 pupil at his school.

Silas Chitate, the headmaster of Makumbe Mission Junior School, was jailed for 18 years on Wednesday by Harare magistrate Nyasha Vhitorini, but will serve an effective 15 years after three were conditionally suspended.

The magistrate told Chitate that he had ruined the life of a child.

“You have destroyed the life of a child, physically and socially and you should get appropriate punishment,” Vhitorini told Chitate, who denied rape.

“A lengthy custodial sentence will be appropriate in this case. It’s disappointing and shocking to imagine that a school head, as old and educated as you are, would take advantage of such a young girl who has a whole future ahead of her.”

Venencia Mutake, for the state, told how the 13-year-old girl fell victim to Chitate following a sports trip to Marondera on June 22 this year.

The children, accompanied by Chitate, returned late from the event and the headmaster had dropped all the other pupils before he was left with the victim in the car.

He drove her to the Makumbe Children’s Home, where she lives, but found the gate locked. The court heard he did not try to raise the security guards or the matron but drove to his house in Domboshawa with the victim.

Chitate, his trial heard, made the teenager sleep in the lounge. He then woke up around midnight and raped her once without using protection.

He took her back to the orphanage the following day, the court heard.

Testifying during the trial, the orphanage’s matron, Diana Kanyere, 59, said she noticed that the girl was having difficulties in walking but did not question her.

The matron said he became suspicious when Chitate came begging, days later, to take her for another sporting event.

Kanyere said she did not release the girl because she was writing exams. But she went on to question the victim who narrated her ordeal.

A medical affidavit tendered in court confirmed that the girl was abused as she had fresh tears in her privates.