MBOMBELA – A 69-year-old senior citizen was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Secunda regional court for the rape of a five-year-old girl in September 2011.
Aaron Baloi, who was well known in the neighbourhood, lured the victim into his room by enticing her with sweets then pounced and brutally raped her. After he was done with his appalling act, he then threatened the vulnerable girl and instructed her not to reveal the gruesome ordeal to anyone.
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In the meantime her family was looking for her and when they could not find her where she had been playing with other children, including Baloi’s own grandchildren, they then called for a lookout for the missing girl. Later that evening, they found the child who looked disraught, scared and in pain. When asked where she was, she told her parents that she had been playing with other children and got injured.
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She was rushed to hospital where it was revealed that she had been raped. Due to the severity of the injuries the child had to be transferred to the Baragwanath hospital for further medical attention.
In passing sentence, the magistrate articulated that what Baloi did was evil and not allowed in the society we live in, therefore he is not fit to live in a free society. “Children are the future of our country, adults’ core responsibility is to make sure that kids are safe and protected, but you took advantage of the trust the young girl had in you. Therefore people like you must be removed from the society,” said the magistrate.
