Mother of Deon Broekman’s rape victim speaks out
Broekman, from Lydenburg, was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping and sexually grooming a girl.
For Deon Broekman’s rape victim, the guilty verdict and sentencing on August 28 in the Mashishing Regional Court brought back memories of the horrible night she lived through.
According to the victim’s mother, Broekman smiled at her daughter when he saw her at the court to testify against him.
The mother said her and her daughter’s anonymity is of the utmost importance to her, and Judge JN Ngobeni made it clear that they may not be identified.
Broekman was sentenced to life for one count of rape and received a two-year sentence for sexual grooming of a minor. The two sentences will run concurrently.
The crime was committed on March 14, 2021. The girl was 12 years old at the time and Broekman was arrested on March 16, 2021.
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Broekman was a former emergency services operator in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality and a well-known resident of Lydenburg. He was the owner of N3 Rapid Response and a regular respondent to accident scenes, helping law enforcement during emergencies.
“After sentencing, my daughter barely stopped crying. She also found reading articles about Broekman in the media upsetting. We had to leave Lydenburg and start a new life. We have a very supportive church and pastor. I want the public to know that I never left my daughter alone with him. It is painful that strangers attack me and make nasty comments on social media without even knowing the facts. It happened during a family braai, and there were other children and parents present. I knew something was wrong with my daughter the day after it happened. She finally told me she had a new cellphone. Broekman bought it for her the day after the braai to keep her silent after he raped her. I opened a case with the Lydenburg SAPS immediately,” said the mother.
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During his trial, Broekman did not express remorse for his crimes. The judge agreed with the state during sentencing and did not find compelling and substantial reasons to depart from the prescribed maximum sentence.
Moreover, Ngobeni said that Broekman was unsuitable to work with children in the future.
Colonel Lota Motsileng, the commander of Lydenburg Police Station, congratulated the police and the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Gabisile Mtau, on the sentencing.
It is very disturbing when adults, who are supposed to protect children from any harm, perpetrate dreadful and evil deeds against innocent children,” said Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, the provincial commissioner of the Mpumalanga SAPS.
Broekman was deemed unfit to possess a firearm, and the court ordered his name to be entered on the National Register of Sexual Offenders.
