By A Correspondent- A 38 year old woman from Mahatshula North suburb, Bulawayo, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for making a false rape claim against her husband.

Sipho Majahana, also known as Zanele Moyo, fabricated the rape allegation against her 52-year-old husband, Doswell Mupundu, to spite him after he had assaulted her.

Majahana opened a docket claiming that her husband had raped their nine-year-old daughter.

She appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Gamuchirai Gore on Tuesday facing charges of defeating the course of Justice.

Majahana was convicted on her own plea of guilty and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

However, eight months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour and the remaining four months were also suspended on condition that she performs 140 hours of community service at Queens Park Police Camp.

Prosecuting, Sehliselo Khumalo said that on 19 March 2022, Majahana made a false report to the police alleging that her husband, Mupundu had raped their daughter.

On April 29, Majahana and her minor daughter went to trial and were separately interviewed by regional prosecutor Patience Sibanda who had been assigned to handle Mupundu’s alleged rape case.

During the interview, the child revealed that she was never raped, but was instead persuaded by her mother to lie against her father.

When Majahana was cross-examined, she stated that she had lied to her sister, Lucy Masuku that Mupundu raped the child.

She said she hoped that Masuku and her friends would gang up and beat up her husband for assaulting her.

Majahana later deposited an affidavit saying she had made a false report about the rape case.

-newsday