Uncle sentenced to life in prison for raping niece

The eMalahleni Regional Court sentenced a 36-year-old man to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping his 11-year-old niece in Likazi, Coronation in eMalahleni. The identity of the accused cannot be revealed to protect the victim.

The court heard that on December 25, 2014, the accused invited his sister with his children to his home for Christmas . During the evening, everybody went to sleep and left the victim with the accused watching TV in the lounge. The accused then grabbed the victim and raped her. He then threatened her not to tell anyone about what happened and gave her R40 to keep it a secret.

The following morning the victim reported the incident to her mother who then alerted the police and the accused was arrested.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, during trial the accused pleaded not guilty. He denied the allegations, however, the Regional Court Prosecutor, Maureen Nkosi, led testimony of the victim’s mother who told the court that she noticed a strange behavior in her child. She further told the court about the pain of having her child raped by her brother and that of the victim. Medical report confirmed penetration with fresh injuries in the victim’s private part.

Addressing the court for a harsh sentence, prosecutor Nkosi urged the court to impose a harsh sentence as cases of gender-based violence are prevalent in our country. She further stated that the accused showed no remorse for his actions and therefore the courts have a duty to protect the community from such people. The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment. The court ordered his name to be entered into the National  Sexual Offences Register and was found unfit to possess a firearm.