Traditional healer sentenced for raping 15-year-old girl in Nkandla

A traditional healer in Nkandla was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, five years for kidnapping and three months for assault.

The inyanga (32), whose name has not been released by the authorities, was convicted by Nkandla Regional Court of raping a 15-year-old girl in July 2022.

The court heard that before the incident, the accused’s uncle had advertised that his nephew was a traditional healer and provided his cellphone number on air.

When the victim’s family heard the advertisement, they contacted the man and requested he go to their home to perform a cleansing ritual.

The man honoured the invitation and went to stay with the victim’s family for a few days.

During his stay, he advised the family that he had invited his entire congregation to come and pray, and asked the victim’s mother to buy food for all these people.

She left her daughter alone at home with the man.

The court further heard that the man kidnapped the girl and took her to eShowe and then to the eMazambaneni area, where he held her captive and raped her on several occasions.

He did not allow her to speak to anyone and when she tried to talk to a person in the area, he assaulted her.

A few days later, she went to a nearby shop and someone recognised her, as her family had reported her missing and her photo had been circulated in local newspapers and on social media platforms. The police were called and the man was arrested.

Regional Court Prosecutor Nozipho Mthethwa led the testimonies of the girl and her mother, and further led evidence of the police officer who rescued the girl, as well as the evidence of the medical doctor who examined her.

The State also submitted a Victim Impact Statement, compiled by the victim and facilitated by court preparation officer Amanda Nxumalo.

In her statement, the victim indicated that she is sad when she sees the maidens going to the reed dance, as she can no longer participate.

She further said she feels ashamed and embarrassed by what happened to her, and is afraid of men as she still has flashbacks to the incident.

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