LIMPOPO – A 27-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape in the Lebowakgomo Regional Court on Tuesday.
The Director of Public Prosecutions’ Regional Spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the man was charged with the rape of a 14-year-old girl in 2016. The girl is his cousin.
For this reason, his identity is withheld to protect the victim.
“The man from Ga-Tamatis called her to his bedroom, undressed her and raped her in front of her sibling,” Malabi-Dzhangi explained. She added that when the man finished, he let the siblings leave his room. “The little brother reported the ordeal to an uncle when they got home and the matter was reported to the police. The girl was taken to hospital and upon examination, rape was confirmed and the man arrested,” she said.
Malabi-Dzhangi noted that the girl was physically challenged as she could not use her right hand and was limping.
“The accused pleaded guilty as the state had a very strong case against him,” she added.
The lasting impact of the rape was revealed in a social worker’s Victim Impact Assessment report, which was submitted to the court. In aggravation of the sentence, prosecutor Bertha Kotsedi said the complainant will live with the memory of the incident for the rest of her life.
Kotsedi said besides her age, the girl was also physically challenged and unable to defend herself against the man who knew her condition but took advantage of her situation.
The sentence was welcomed by Adv Ivy Thenga of the DPP, who said she hopes that the sentence sends a strong message that these types of incidents will not be tolerated in our society.
