The mother of the nine-year-old girl who was raped by Ntokozo Zikhali said they’ll be able to move on from the ordeal after two years of suffering.

This comes after the Pretoria High Court sitting at the Benoni Magistrate’s Court yesterday sentenced Zikhali to life imprisonment for the rape.

Speaking to the Benoni City Times, the 33-year-old mother from Wattville, south of Benoni, said she’s happy that justice has been served.

“My child has suffered a lot. What happened to her brought pain and it changed her. Her academics were affected,” said the mother whose identity is hidden due to the nature of the offences.

Guilty plea

Zikhali admitted to raping the child in 2021 during the second day of his trial on August 1. However, he pleaded not guilty to charges four charges related to the murder of Bokgabo Poo (4).

Bokgabo’s mutilated body was found in a veld in Wattville on October 11 after a 63-year-old woman, who lives in the vicinity, came across the buried leg of a child while sweeping her yard earlier that day.

Bokgabo had gone missing the day before while playing with a friend in Masoleng Park.

Last week, Judge Ian Cox found Zikhali not guilty of kidnapping, murder, defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse in the Bokgabo case.

In Zikhali’s guilty plea, read by his attorney advocate Anneke Van Wyk, he stated that he unlawfully sexually penetrated the nine-year-old without her consent on August 8, 2021.

He said the victim was playing in a park and when the friends left, he approached her and asked if she would take a photo of him.
He then picked her up, closed her mouth and took her to a dam, where he raped her.

Zikhali said he knew what he did was wrong and wanted to apologise to the child by going to the park, hoping to find her again.

About Zikhali

The 30-year-old is single and has no children. He dropped out in Grade 10 after suffering from headaches when writing exams.
Between 2011 and 2015, he was employed at his father’s construction company as a general labourer.

After his father’s retirement, Zikhali was left unemployed and dependent on his parents.

No remorse

During sentencing, Cox said Zikhali showed no remorse for his actions after he was linked to the crime through DNA.

“The rape of children has become a pandemic in this country. It is one of the most harrowing and malignant crimes confronting South Africa today. The accused person unjustifiably trampled on the constitutional rights of the complainant. He showed her no respect and invaded both her privacy and dignity.

“There is no justification for what he has done to the complainant. He abused the trust which she had in adults in that she adhered to his request to take a picture of him with his cellphone. Thereafter, he took her to some trees where he proceeded with raping her.”

Cox said the girl did not sustain any physical injuries, however, she sustained some gynaecological injuries, which included tears of her labia majora, posterior fourchette and perineum.

He added that the incident will always remain with the victim and hoped that it does not manifest in her future relationships with males.

Bad memories and trauma

Before the sentencing, advocate Eric Sihlangu read a victim impact statement written by the victim’s mother in which she stated that she will never forget the year 2021 as it brings back bad memories and trauma.

“I always ask why bad things happen to good people. We have suffered a lot. I asked myself why the perpetrator victimised my child. Was he sent to embarrass me in my community? He deserves to rot in jail. He is a dangerous person to society,” the mother said.

A disappointed mother

The mother of Bokgabo, Tsholofelo, shares her frustration that ‘no justice was served’ in her daughter’s case.