Rapist uncle jailed for life

A man (34) was last week convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nongoma Regional Court for raping his niece (14).

The incident occurred in November 2020 in the KwaDongathuli area of Nongoma.

The court heard that on the day of the incident, the victim had attended a traditional dance celebration in the area with her siblings and aunt.

At the celebration, they met their uncle, and when the victim and her siblings and aunt were leaving, the accused said he would accompany them because he wanted to meet the victim’s granny, his aunt.

Along the way, the aunt took a detour to her homestead, and while the other children were walking ahead, the accused pulled the victim into a bush and raped her.

He had a knife on him and threatened to kill her if she told anyone what he had done. When the victim and the accused got home, the accused lied to the granny that they were delayed because he had sent the victim to his girlfriend’s house along the way.

He left soon after, and the victim remained silent. However, the granny noticed that her behaviour was unusual and confronted her the following day.

The girl told her granny what had happened. They reported the matter to the police and took the victim to a nearby hospital. The uncle was arrested thereafter.

In the State’s case, Prosecutor Busisiwe Ndwandwe led the evidence of the victim, her granny, and the medical doctor from the hospital.

In her victim impact statement, the girl said she has lived in fear since the incident as she thought her uncle would follow through with his threat and kill her.

She is also afraid to walk alone, and has to be accompanied to and from school by her family members.

The man was sentenced to life, with the court declaring him unfit to possess a firearm and further ordering that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

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