The man also impregnated the girl and infected her with HIV.
A Gauteng man has been handed down four life terms for raping a 13-year-old girl battling cancer.
The Tsakane Regional Court found the 47-year-old man from Tsakane Extension 13, Ekurhuleni, of four counts of rape, which he will serve concurrently.
The man, a family friend, was also declared unfit to work with children and his name will be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
Rape and threats
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the man raped the teen on four occasions between December 2015 and April 2016.
He took advantage of the child on days when she would visit her elderly grandmother to assist her with housejold chores
“The family friend who is also a neighbour would call the child to his place, rape her and threaten to kill her if she told anyone about the rape incidents until she fell pregnant,” Mahanjana said in a statement on Tuesday.
Pregnant and HIV positive
It was when the girl visited the doctor for her regular cancer treatment that the man’s shocking actions came to light.
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Doctors discovered that she was six months pregnant and had contracted HIV.
“When the doctor inquired about the pregnancy, the child disclosed that she was raped by the family friend,” Mahajnana said.
“The mother of the child reported the matter to the police and the family friend was arrested in November 2016.”
However, the matter was provisionally withdrawn and was placed back on the roll in 2020 when the neighbour was summoned to court.
Guilty and not remorseful
In court, the man pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied raping the child.
Countering his plea, regional court prosecutor Tholwana Jessica Khakhathiba presented compelling evidence for the man’s guilt.
“During sentencing, his legal representative asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence due to his ill health which has deteriorated since his incarceration,” Mahanjana said.
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However, Khakhathiba urged life imprisonment, saying that the man did not show any remorse and continued to maintain his innocence even after conviction.
Furthermore, she argued that he committed gruesome offences on a defenceless child who was already suffering from a chronic illness.
Khakhathiba said not only did the man impregnate the child, he also infected her with HIV and took away her innocence.
“The prosecutor also read into the record the victim impact statement facilitated by the court preparation officer, Nothando Mbatha, which detailed the psychological, academic, social and physical trauma the child suffered because of the rape incidents,” Mahanjana said.
Finding that the aggravating circumstances far outweighed mitigating factors, the court agreed with the state that the accused showed no remorse for the offences.
The NPA deemed the sentence appropriate.
“The NPA welcomes the sentence, hoping it deters potential offenders and demonstrates its commitment to combating gender-based violence,” Mahanjana said.
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