Mavis Sibanda received 24 months in prison after forcing a young girl to give blood for HIV testing. The 33-year-old woman grabbed the child's finger and stuck it with a needle at Gokwe Centre on May 26. Sibanda used the blood on an HIV test kit without asking permission from the girl or her family. The incident happened at Sai Mart Supermarket around 10 AM when Sibanda called the victim to her market stall. Gokwe Magistrates Court found her guilty of assault and sentenced her on May 28, 2025.
Citizens across Zimbabwe believe the punishment was far less severe than the crime deserved. Many people posted angry messages on social media demanding longer prison terms for attacks on children. The traumatized girl cried after the assault and needed help from two men who saw her distress. These witnesses took her home and told her father what happened before police arrested Sibanda. Zimbabweans want courts to give harsher sentences when adults hurt minors and cause bodily harm.
Citizens across Zimbabwe believe the punishment was far less severe than the crime deserved. Many people posted angry messages on social media demanding longer prison terms for attacks on children. The traumatized girl cried after the assault and needed help from two men who saw her distress. These witnesses took her home and told her father what happened before police arrested Sibanda. Zimbabweans want courts to give harsher sentences when adults hurt minors and cause bodily harm.
