The incident took place in December 2023 in the Gengele area, in KwaZulu-Natal.
A 56-year-old grandfather has been sentenced to life in jail for the rape of his granddaughter, who was five years old at the time of the incident.
The elderly man appeared in the Mtubatuba Regional Court on Thursday, where the sentence was handed down.
The incident occurred in December 2023 in the Gengele area of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Court proceedings
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said, during the court proceedings, prosecutor Sphelele Precious Mdluli led the testimony of the child’s mother, who corroborated her evidence about the rape.
Ramkisson-Kara said the doctor who examined the child also testified that her injuries were consistent with the offence committed by the grandfather.
“In furtherance of the state’s case, Mdluli handed in a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the complainant’s mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Sthembile Cebekhulu.
“In her statement, the woman expressed that she was deeply hurt by the actions of her father, as she had trusted him. She said that the incident had destroyed their relationship,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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Rape
Ramkisson-Kara said the grandfather was sentenced accordingly, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the national register for sex offenders.
“He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.”
Ramkisson-Kara stated that on the evening of the grim incident in December 2023, the child had left her mother’s house to visit her grandfather, who lived on the same property but in a separate dwelling.
“She returned after some time and told her mother that she had blood on her underwear. Her mother asked her what had happened, and she reported that her grandfather had raped her.”
Sentence welcomed
The NPA welcomed the successful conviction and sentence.
“The accused was in a position of trust, and he abused that trust. We hope that sentences of this nature will deter like-minded people,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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