The Boschfontein Regional Court has sentenced a 36-year-old man to 25 years’ direct imprisonment, for the rape of a 4-year-old girl.
Mdhluli at the time of the incident in 2023, the accused was employed as a general worker at a certain creche in the Nkomazi area.
“According to evidence presented before the court, the incident occurred on 01 September 2023, around 15:00 pm, after school hours. The victim and other children were naively playing on the school premises as it is said that they reside nearby.
“During that time, the man in question, whom the children referred to as “uncle”, called the victim into the kitchen then closed the door. The victim’s sister, who was a minor at the time, became suspicious of the whereabouts of the younger sibling and went to check on her. She peeped through the window and it was during this time when she witnessed the man on top of the little girl,” he said.
He further said: “It is also worth noting that the said sister was eight-years-old at the time and she never reported this incident to anyone but rather took her younger sister home. This heartless man went on as if there was nothing wrong that he did.
Later that day, while bathing at home, the victim complained to her mother that she was in pain. When questioned, the victim’s sister informed their mother that she had seen the so called “uncle” raping her younger sister. The victim also confirmed the incident and identified the perpetrator as the person who had raped her.”
Mdhluli said the matter was immediately reported to the Kamhlushwa SAPS and the case was assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in Tonga.
“The victim was taken to hospital for a medical examination. Following an investigation, the perpetrator was arrested in Kamhlushwa on 02 September 2023,” he said.
The sentence has been hailed by the Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi.
The court further ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. The said man was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.