MAN SENTENCED TO DOUBLE LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF A MINOR
The High Court of South Africa; North West Division, sitting at Mogwase Regional Court sentenced Calvin Khunwana (32), to two life terms for the rape and murder, five years for kidnapping and 5 years for defeating the ends of justice. The conviction emanates from an incident that occurred on 30 July 2020, in Photsaneng village, near Rustenburg, where a 7-old-girl was playing at her home with two friends.
She was then called over by Khunwana, to his yard which is back opposite the deceased’ home. He then went with her inside the house and moments later her friends saw her trying to escape through the door, whereupon Khunwana apprehended her and chased her friends away, threatening to assault them before dragging the child back into the house. Khunwana went on to rape the child and subsequently strangled her and placed her lifeless body underneath a carpet in a storeroom. Evidence in court indicated that Khunwana took a pair of his sneakers and tried to sell them to source transport fares to escape the village. The child was later found in his home after her friends pointed out where she was last seen. The accused was arrested, and he remained in custody until the trial was concluded.
In aggravation of sentence, Adv Benny Kalakgosi argued that the accused was well known to the deceased and he took advantage of her trust as an elderly person. He further argued that the accused raped a minor and killed her gruesomely, urging the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence. Judge President Ronald Hendricks, agreed with the state that the accused abused the trust relationship between himself and the child and showed no remorse for his actions.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari Sekhaolelo, lauded Adv Kalakgosi and Warrant Officer Karel Khumalo, for the conviction. “One life of a child is one too many. Our fight against such offences requires a collaborative approach from all sectors of society to defeat this scourge”, she concluded.
