Her grandfather assaulted her as she returned to bed after taking her tonsil medication in the early hours of the morning.
Picture: iStock
A 69-year-old Free State grandfather will spend the next 25 years behind bars after a local court sentenced him on Wednesday for raping his 14-year-old granddaughter.
Handed down on Wednesday, the direct prison sentence comes with no option of a fine or suspension, meaning the man from Petsana near Reitz will serve his time in full.
Authorities have withheld his name to protect the identity of the young survivor.
Late-night attack exposed
The horrific assault took place in the early hours of 21 June 2024.
Around 1.48am, the teenager got up at home to prepare medication for her tonsils before heading back to bed. Her grandfather then approached her, grabbed her, forced her onto the floor and raped her.
After the attack, the shaken teenager returned to her bed, but she did not stay silent for long. She reached out to her brother and sister-in-law to tell them what her grandfather had done.
Her sister-in-law immediately stepped in and took the girl to the local police station to open a criminal case.
Forensic evidence
Police swiftly arrested the grandfather and kept him behind bars without bail while they built their case.
Crucial forensic work ultimately sealed his fate when DNA results from the Forensic Science Laboratory positively linked him to the crime.
Backed by this irrefutable scientific evidence and thorough detective work by Sergeant Gene Kutuloane of the Bethlehem Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, prosecutor Advocate Babalwa Twalo secured a guilty verdict before Magistrate Mpama.
16 days of activism against GBV
The hefty sentence lands just weeks before South Africa launches its annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, which runs from 25 November to 10 December.
Free State Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thabang Lesia praised the police investigators and prosecutors for working together to deliver justice.
“Men must stop abusing women and children. Protecting women and children is everyone’s responsibility, and perpetrators must understand that their actions have serious consequences,” said Lesia.
