The Specialised Sexual Offences Court in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court has sentenced a man (62) to life imprisonment for the rape of a minor in the France location in September 2023.

The Witness reports that the girl was six years old at the time of the offence.

The court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on the day of the incident, the child’s mother had sent her to the tuck shop to buy something.

On the way back, the complainant met the accused, who is her neighbour and someone she regards as a grandfather, because they share the same surname. He lured her to his house with the promise of an orange and raped her.

“Thereafter, he let the complainant go, and she saw her mother (who was looking for her) as she left the accused’s house. The complainant went to her mother in a state of panic and relayed what had happened.”

The child was then taken to the Edendale Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where the matter was reported.

In the state’s case, Prosecutor Veraysha Moodley led the evidence of the child, her mother and the doctor.

“Moodley also handed in victim impact statements (VIS), which were compiled by the complainant and her mother and facilitated by court preparation officer Nokuvela Mlotshwa. In her statement, the complainant drew a before-and-after picture of herself.

“The before picture is colourful and bright, while the after picture is dull and gloomy and depicts the complainant crying.

“In her statement, the complainant’s mother said that the incident had affected them as they considered the accused to be a grandfather figure.”

The NPA hopes that sentences of this nature deter like-minded people. Community members should have an intrinsic responsibility to protect children. Instead, the accused in this matter abused the position of trust and respect afforded to him.

“The NPA remains committed to pursuing justice for the victims of crime,” NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.

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