The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday sentenced a 31-year-old man to life in prison for raping his six-year-old stepdaughter.

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says the man and the mother of the victim were in a relationship and lived together in Olievenhoutbosch.

She adds the incident occurred on August 6, 2022, when the victim was home alone with the accused while the mother went to Mamelodi.

“It is alleged that while the victim was playing outside, the accused called her inside the shack and instructed her to undress herself, then proceeded to rape her,” she explains.

Mahanjana says that following the incident, the accused allegedly told the victim not to tell anyone about what had happened.

“Later, when the mother arrived and was bathing the child, the child jumped,” she adds.

She says the mother then inquired with the victim, who told her that the stepfather raped her.

Mahanjana says the mother reported the matter to the police, and the child was taken to a doctor.

“The accused was arrested the following day and has been in custody since after the state successfully opposed his bail application,” she explains.

In court

The accused denied committing the offence and pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him. Mahanjana says the state revealed evidence that proved that the accused had indeed committed the offence.

“After he was found guilty, the accused asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence because he had been in custody since his arrest,” she says.

State prosecutor Mpho Monyane asked the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment because the accused committed a serious offence of raping a minor.

Monyane says the mother and the victim trusted the accused, and he betrayed their trust.

“The man was accommodated, clothed, and fed by the mother of the victim since he was unemployed, and he thanked her for her kindness by raping her child,” adds Monyane.

In the victim impact statement facilitated by court preparation officer Lebogang Lebese, the child demonstrated in a form of a drawing that since the incident she was sad and no longer plays outside because of what had happened.

“Handing down the sentence, Magistrate Johanah Mthimunye said she found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence,” adds Mahanjana.

Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi applauded the work of the investigating officer and prosecutor that led to the conviction and sentencing of the accused.