MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPING A MINOR
The Phokeng Magistrates’ Court sentenced Thabang Daniel Botsi to life imprisonment for raping his 9-year-old niece. The court further ordered that he be recorded in the register of offenders against minors. This conviction is linked to an incident that occurred on 02 February 2022, at Lethabong near Phokeng, where the victim played with her friends in the yard. Botsi subsequently called her into his bedroom and raped her.
Evidence led in court revealed that the victim’s friends got worried when she was not coming back from the house, and they went to peep through the window. Shockingly to the young friends, they saw Botsi on top of the little girl and went to report the matter to her mother. She reported the matter to the police and he was subsequently arrested on the same day. He pleaded guilty to the offence.
In aggravation of sentence, the state prosecutor Obed Molope urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment, as the offence was committed by a person who should be protecting his family environment, particularly in a time when women and children are facing high levels of abuse.
In a passing sentence, Magistrate Segakweng Moeng remarked that Botsi, a father figure to the victim, abused his authority and raped a defenceless child, unsuspecting of his horrific intentions.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, lauded the investigating officer, prosecutor, and the victim’s friends for their bravery in leading to the conviction. “We cannot allow such heinous crimes to destroy the lives of innocent and vulnerable children of our society, thus this conviction is welcomed”, she remarked.
