Four life sentences for herdsman
The five-year-old girl was raped on several occasions.
A HERDSMAN from Ezitendeni Ward in Umgai, near Sawoti, appeared in the Scottburgh Regional Court on Monday last week, where he was convicted on four counts of rape and sentenced to four terms of life imprisonment.
The man raped a five-year-old girl, who at the time lived with her grandmother in Umgai, on various occasions in 2012.
In December of that year, the girl went to visit her mother in Hammarsdale.
During bathtime one evening, the mother observed signs that the girl had been abused. Upon questioning the child, the mother learnt that she had been raped on a number of occasions over a period of time.
When the mother asked the grandmother about the injuries, she confirmed that she had noticed the swelling and abrasions but did not realise that she had been abused.
The matter was reported to the Sawoti SAPS. An investigation was launched and the man arrested.
It was found that the herdsman had raped the girl when the grandmother had gone out and left her at home alone.
