A Mpumalanga man’s name will be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders after he was handed a life sentence for raping his 10-year-old niece on Christmas eve of 2019.
The 35-year-old man was sentenced by the Kwaggasfontein Regional Court on Thursday.
In a statement, Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, said the court sentenced the accused after details were heard on how the young girl became a victim in the hands of a man who was supposed to have protected her unconditionally.
“It is said that on 24 December 2019 in Kwaggafontein, he preyed on a little girl during a time when her mother and grandparents were not around. As her uncle, he was trusted to look after her,” said Mdhuli.
He said the girl was playing in the veranda when the man summoned her to his room, which was at the back of the main house.
She reportedly refused to go to her uncle's room. He then dragged her to his room and tied her with a rope before raping her repeatedly. She later escaped after begging him to let her go and get food.
“Her mother came back and was worried when she could not find her daughter in the main house, as well as the uncle. The mother then went to her neighbours to look for her but without any success. The mother came back to the house and was shocked to see her daughter walking in a strange way. The girl then narrated her story to her mother,” said Mdhluli.
He said the girl was then taken to the doctor and it was confirmed that she was raped.
“The man tried to convince the girl's mother not to lay charges against him but the matter was eventually reported to police. Meanwhile, he went into hiding at one of his family member’s [home]. However, his family instead sought justice for the girl and they handed him over to police where he was brought to court, and hence the sentence,” he said.
The accused's particulars will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. The court found him to be unfit to work with children and his particulars will also be recorded in the National Child Protection Register.
Police management in the province has noted with much concern the moral decay in society, where adults, entrusted with a responsibility to protect and care for children, instead break that trust and abuse children.
“The management has further thanked the family for handing him over and applauded the excellent work done by members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS), the prosecution as well as the judiciary for their resilience in this case, which saw him getting a well-deserved sentence,” said Mdhluli. – SAnews.gov.za
