Brave rape victim steps forward 20 years after she was raped by uncle
A woman, who as a young girl was raped multiple times by her uncle, has told her story over 20 years since she was last assaulted.
Her bravery resulted in the Madadeni Regional Court jailing the man, now 61, to life imprisonment.
The Court heard that he raped the girl on various occasions from 1996 to 2001 when her family lived in Osizweni.
The then little girl’s trauma started in 1995 when she was raped by her brother when the family stayed in Madadeni.
When she told her mother what had happened, a family meeting was called and it was decided that the incident would not be reported.
Instead, the complainant was sent to live with her uncle’s family in the Osiweni area.
It was then that he started raping her and exposing her to pornographic material when they were alone together.
On one occasion his wife caught him raping the girl and rather than assisting the complainant, she severely assaulted her.
In 2001, after finishing matric, the girl moved to another province where she remained.
Then in 2022, she decided to speak out against her abuse and went to the police in the province where she lived.
They referred her to the Madadeni FCS and the rapes were investigated. She was referred to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for the necessary support.
In court, Prosecutor Zama Ernest Zikalala led the evidence of the woman as well as the evidence of the accused’s wife who caught the accused raping the complainant.
She said in her testimony, said that the ordeal has left her emotionally and mentally scarred for life.
In addition to the life sentence, the accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court also ordered that his details be entered into the National Child Protection Register.
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, NPA spokesperson ‘welcomed the successful prosecution.
“We hope that sentences of this nature demonstrate that we and our partners in the justice cluster are serious about fighting the scourge of sexual offences and gender-based violence. Moreover, members of the community are encouraged to speak out against gender-based violence and be the voice of the victims of crime.”
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