Tsakani man gets four life sentences for raping 13-year-old cancer patient
The man was found guilty of repeatedly raping a young cancer patient, impregnating her, and infecting her with HIV.
Tsakani – The Tsakane Regional Court has sentenced a 47-year-old man from Tsakani Ext 13 to four life terms for four counts of rape of a 13-year-old minor, who was battling cancer.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, with his name added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
He was also declared unfit to work with children. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the victim was raped on four different occasions between December 2015 and April 2016.
The child would go to her elderly grandmother’s residence in Tsakane Ext 13 to assist her with house chores. The family friend, who was also a neighbour, would call the child to his home, rape her and threaten to kill her if she told anyone. She became pregnant.
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In October 2016 when the 13-year-old had gone to the doctor for her regular cancer treatment, it was discovered that she was six months pregnant and had contracted HIV.
When the doctor enquired about the pregnancy, the child disclosed that she was raped by the family friend. The mother of the child reported the matter to the police, and the family friend was arrested in November 2016.
However, the matter was provisionally withdrawn. It was placed back on the court roll in 2020, and the neighbour was summoned.
In court, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied raping the child, however, regional court prosecutor Tholwana Jessica Khakhathiba adduced evidence that proved the man’s guilt.
During sentencing, the man’s legal representative asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence due to the man’s ill health which had deteriorated since his incarceration.
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Khakhathiba urged for life imprisonment.
The prosecutor read into the record the Victim Impact Statement (VIS) facilitated by the court preparation officer Nothando Mbatha, which detailed the psychological, academic, social and physical trauma the child suffered because of the rape incidents.
The court found aggravating circumstances far outweighed mitigating factors, agreeing with the state that the accused showed no remorse for the offences.
The sentence was deemed appropriate. The NPA welcomes the sentence, hoping it deters potential offenders and demonstrates its commitment to combating gender-based violence (GBV).
