Cape Town - Four life sentences handed down on Thursday to a man who repeatedly raped his girlfriend’s 10-year-old daughter is testament to the government’s resolve to prioritise sexual offences against children, said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Eric Ntabazalila.
The sentences will not run concurrently.
The man, who cannot be named as it would identify the victim, was found guilty in the Wynberg Regional Court on Wednesday on seven counts of rape and sexual assault of his girlfriend’s daughter in 2006.
The victim left South Africa and returned in 2013. She filed the charges in June last year.
Her attacker was also sentenced by acting Regional Court Magistrate Tom Cloete to seven years’ imprisonment for two counts of indecent assault and another two years for sexual assault.
Ntabazalila said the sentence sent out a strong message that the judiciary would not tolerate “gruesome” crimes against the most vulnerable in society – children.
“Prosecutor Nina Meyer argued for a harsh sentence to be handed down to the accused. We are pleased as our resolve to prioritise sexual offences against children is bearing fruit.
We hope this sentence serves as a deterrent to others that (if) you commit these types of crimes, you will pay dearly for them,” Ntabazalila said.
Rape Crisis director Kathleen Dey said an average of 9 000 women, children and men reported being raped in the Western Cape every year.
According to the South African Medical Research Council statistics released last year, only one in 25 people raped by a family member ever reported it to the police, while one in 13 people raped by a stranger did the same.
While Dey welcomed the sentencing, she said more needed to be done to ensure the swift prosecution of sexual predators.
“The road to justice is a long one for the victim. It deals harshly with the victim’s feelings, and often the road is met with disappointment. But this case is a success story – it shows people that justice can prevail,” Dey said.
Childline national executive Dumisile Nala said the fact that the girl knew her rapist was not uncommon.
“It is seldom that the rapist is ever a stranger. When the trust of a child is destroyed in that way, the psychological impact is hard to overcome and intense therapy is needed.”
Childline is based at some NPA Thuthuzela care centres in the country, including three in KwaZulu-Natal, one in Limpopo, the Free State and the Eastern Cape.
Nala said its hotline receives about a million calls a year from children seeking advice on relationships, sexual abuse and problems at home.
“South Africa is facing a rape crisis.
“I applaud the harsh sentence handed down to the rapist,” Nala said.
Department of Justice and Constitutional Development regional head Hishaam Mohamed said the sentence proved that crimes against women and children would not be tolerated.
The Western Cape had around 42 000 cases on the court roll, which included that of sexual offences, he said.
“This judgment is a positive one. A lot needs to be done to dispose of the cases in court, but we have made a step in the right direction.” To report abuse of children, contact Childline at 08000 55 555.
Cape Times