The NPA has welcomed a life imprisonment sentence handed down by the eLukwatini Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Monday, to a man convicted of raping of a 13-year-old girl.

According to Highvelder, the crime occurred repeatedly in Mayflower between April and October 2019.

In addition to the life sentence, the court ordered his inclusion on the National Register for Sex Offenders, declared him unfit to possess a firearm, and deemed him unsuitable to work with children.

The victim, then 13, resided with her grandparents in the same yard as her attacker.

Court proceedings revealed that the girl was repeatedly targeted.

“On one occasion, he entered her bedroom armed with a sjambok, demanding she become his second wife and bear his children. When she refused, he assaulted her with the sjambok before raping her,” says NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.

The abuse came to light when the victim’s school noticed her absence from classes and dispatched social workers to her home.

During their visit, the victim disclosed the rape, prompting a police investigation that led to an arrest.

He pleaded not guilty, claiming the victim seduced him.

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