Man sentenced to life imprisonment for raping five-year-old girl

The Benoni Regional Court recently sentenced a 36-year-old man to life in prison for raping a five-year-old girl from Etwatwa.

The man was staying in the same yard as the victim, at a shack behind the family house, after the mother of the minor offered him a place to stay when he was homeless.

According to Lumka Mahanjana, NPA regional spokesperson, while the mother was not at home on July 2, 2019, the man called the five-year-old, together with her six-year-old cousin, to his shack.

“He asked them to lie on top of the bed, but the six-year-old refused and stood at the door. The man then proceeded to undress and rape the five-year-old in the presence of her cousin.

“When the mother arrived, the cousin reported the incident. The mother took the minor to the doctor where it was confirmed that the child was raped

“She went to the police to report the matter and following investigations, the man was arrested on July 6, 2019, and has been in custody since.”

The man pleaded not guilty in court to the charges.

Mahanjana said through his attorney, he asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence, because he has two children aged 16 and 18 that he needs to take care of.

Prosecutor Refiloe Neluonde read to the court the victim impact statement prepared by the social worker, that the child suffered as a result of what the man did.

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It is reported that the mother had to remove the shack because it reminded the child of what had happened and made her cry.

Furthermore, the mother said the man took advantage of her kindness as she took him in when he was homeless.
Neluonde told the court that the man committed a serious offence as women and children constantly live in fear for their lives because of the surge of gender-based violence (GBV).

Magistrate Bettina Pulane Maredi agreed with the state that the man committed a serious offence.
During sentencing, Maredi emphasised that such offences of GBV are prevalent in our court jurisdiction and throughout South Africa.

Moreover, women and children have constitutional rights to human dignity and bodily integrity. She found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence.

The magistrate ordered that the 36-year-old’s name be added to the national register for sexual offenders.

The director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi, welcomed the sentence and hopes that it will send a strong message that crimes against children and women are addressed decisively by the courts.

He thanked the good work done by the prosecutor and the investigation officer, Sergeant Kaizer Mbele, that led to the conviction and sentencing.

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