A MAN from Bulawayo allegedly impregnated his 15-year-old sister-in-law to spite his “disrespectful” wife.

The man (27) from Njube suburb appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube charged with having sexual intercourse with a minor.

He pleaded not guilty claiming he had been misinformed that his sister-in-law was 17 years old.

The minor, whose name has been withheld for ethical reasons, is in Form Three at a city college.

In his defence, the man told the magistrate that he fell for his sister-in-law because he had been having problems with his wife.

“I was having a dispute with my wife in 2016 and I no longer loved her. I ended up having an affair with my sister-in-law and that is how she fell pregnant,” he said.

Magistrate Ncube asked him if he was aware that the juvenile was still at school and he said he was.

Prosecuting, Mr Mufaro Mageza said the two fell in love sometime in 2015.

“In September 2015, on a day unknown to the prosecutor, the accused person proposed love to the complainant and she accepted the proposal. They started having a sexual relationship until she fell pregnant,” he said.

The alleged illicit affair came to light in July last year when the minor fell pregnant. The minor told the court that her brother-in-law bribed her with a new pair of shoes after asking her to go and clean his                               house.

“My brother-in-law asked me to go to his and my sister’s house and clean it for them. I got there and cleaned and then he bought me a pair of shoes as a token of appreciation. He told me that he liked me and then we started dating. After I got pregnant, he approached my parents and told them he was responsible for the pregnancy,” she said.

The minor’s mother reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused person. – State Media