Life sentence for Limpopo man who attempted to silence rape victim with R4
A Limpopo man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of his girlfriend's daughter. He attempted to silence the girl by giving her R4.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
A Limpopo man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 13-year-old girl, a crime he attempted to silence by offering her R4.
The man was the boyfriend of the girl’s mother and had lured her into an outside toilet where he committed the heinous crime.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, confirmed that the 33-year-old man and the victim’s names are withheld to protect the victim’s identity.
The convicted rapist was sentenced at the Morebeng Regional Court this week.
“The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge. The State led witnesses who testified that the accused and the victim's mother were in a love relationship. Around March 2023 at Sekonye in Botlokwa, the accused had instructed the victim to clean the pit toilet in the afternoon while the mother was inside the house.
“The victim went to the toilet as instructed and the accused followed, entered the toilet and closed the door with her inside. He then told the victim to undress herself before raping her. After the ordeal, he gave her R4 to silence her. The following day while the accused was at work, the victim reported the incident to her mother and the matter was escalated to the police and the accused was arrested,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
In aggravation of sentence, the State prosecutor, Andrew Kgatle, argued that the accused had a duty to protect the victim against potential rapists; instead, he became the rapist.
Kgatle further submitted that there are no substantial and compelling circumstances for the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence, and the court agreed and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.
“The NPA welcomes the sentence. the Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Ivy Thenga, stated that it is the NPA's commitment to ensure that victims of gender-based violence receive justice. Thenga further praised the diligent work of the prosecutor and other stakeholders involved in securing the conviction,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
Cape Argus