A 54-year-old man will now be serving two terms of life imprisonment for the rape of his niece, following being sentenced by the Madadeni Regional Court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Kara explained that the man was sentenced by the local Regional Court after he raped his niece from 2019 to 2020.
“The girl, who was 11 years old at the time, and her family lived in a communal homestead along with other family members. The man raped her when there were no adults around,” Kara began.
She elaborated that on the first occasion that the man raped his niece, she had gone to the outside toilet when he attacked her. The little girl’s sister found her in the toilet, and she told her sister what her uncle had done.
“They reported the incident to their mother, and the uncle apologised saying that he was intoxicated. They did not involve the police,” Kara said.
With the child’s mother shockingly accepting the man’s apology, and not involving law enforcement, the child was targeted once again by her uncle.
Kara said that in 2020, the uncle called his niece into his room, where he raped her again.
“She reported the incident to her brother, and they then told their mother. The girl was taken to the Thuthuzela Care Centre at Madadeni Hospital, where the little girl received psycho-social and medical assistance,” explained Kara.
Upon examination at the centre, the doctor confirmed the recent rape and advised that this was not the first time, due to the scars from the first incident.
“In court the uncle pleased not guilty, saying the girl’s mother wanted him to move out of the homestead and had thus told the child to implicate him. The state, represented by Regional Court Prosecutor Khethiwe Kunene led the testimonies of the girl, her siblings, their mother and the medical doctor,” stated Kara.
Additionally, Kara pointed out that the state’s case was further enhanced by a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the girl and facilitated by the Court Preparation Officer Masande Mdiya.
“In her statement, the girl said that the incident has left her with psychological, physical and emotional scars. It has also caused division amongst their family members. She said that the stigma that comes with being a rape victim has left her feeling unworthy and lacking in confidence among her peers,” explained Kara.
“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. We encourage parents to be vigilant and report matters to the police. We commend the work done by the prosecution and SAPS,” concluded Kara.
If you know of anyone who has suffered such a fate and not reported it, be a good human and help them report it.
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