Johannesburg - The Mankweng Regional Court in Limpopo has sentenced a 25-year-old man to two life imprisonment terms after convicting him on two counts of rape, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Wednesday.
The man cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim who happens to be his niece, said NPA Limpopo spokeswoman Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
“The first incident happened in December 2015 when the victim was 12-year-old. She visited her grandmother during school holidays. One day, the victim asked the uncle for money to buy snacks. He called her to follow him to the bedroom to get the money,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“He locked the door, undressed her and raped her. He gave her an amount of R2. The second incident happened in December 2016 when the victim was sleeping in her room during the day. The man entered room, locked the door, undressed her and raped her again.”
After the second rape, the man gave his niece R5.
“The third incident happened in late December 2017, when the victim was asleep in her room in the morning. She felt him touching her buttocks. She warned him that she (would) report him. He stopped and ordered her not to tell anyone,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.
“She never told anyone until she informed her friend in 2018, who persuaded her to report to her mother.”
In court, the rapist pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“The prosecutor, Mr Magomothi Masehela, had to prove the cases to link the accused person to the offence. A medical statement was handed in to corroborate the evidence of the doctor who testified about the injuries the victim sustained throughout her ordeal. There was no DNA to link the man to the offences as the incidents were reported late,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“Victim Impact Statements of the victim, as well as that of her mother were handed to the court. The victim testified that she was still having flashbacks from her ordeal. She did not trust men anymore and struggled to concentrate at her school work.”
The court also heard that the minor was having communication problems due to the trauma.
“She isolated herself from people for fear of being hurt again and felt that her family members did not love her any more. She felt that her friends were judgmental towards her. The victim’s mother testified that she was constantly worried about her children even when she was at work,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“Magistrate Stephanus Reynolds could not find any compelling circumstances to deviate from the Minimum Sentences Act and sentenced the accused to two life imprisonment terms for the two counts of rape, and eight years for the attempted rape.”
IOL