Tonga - A 27-year-old Mpumalanga man accused of raping a 15-year-old girl has been given a suspended sentence after he admitted to having sex with the minor.
Themba Given Vilane, of Mdladla village outside Malalane, was handed a five-year jail sentence when he appeared in the Tonga Regional Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty.
The sentence has been suspended for five years.
Passing judgment, magistrate Edgar Moletsane warned the accused to stop having sexual relationships with minors, a Sapa correspondent reported.
“Stay away from falling in love with minors. Go home, and you should not be found having committed a similar crime for a period of five years,” said Moletsane.
Vilane's legal representative Xolani Mahlalela told the court that his client agreed in a sworn statement that he had indeed had sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend in 2013.
Vilane was arrested on June 9, 2013.
Sapa