THREE LIFE TERMS IMPRISONMENT FOR UNCLE WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO RAPE AND MURDER OF 6-YEAR-OLD NIECE
The Pietermaritzburg High Court has sentenced a 27-year-old man to three terms of life imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to the double rape and murder of his six-year-old niece on 12 February 2023. The incident took place in the Mtwalume, area near Umzinto. In his plea, the man said that on the day of the incident, he had been working at the child’s granny’s house, digging a pit toilet. At some point, the pick handle broke and the granny advised him that she would borrow another pick from her neighbour. He then asked her for money to buy cigarettes from the nearby shop.
The child was also at the shop as she had gone there to buy some items for her mother. On their way back he told the child to follow him, and they will take an alternate route home. As they were walking home, he raped her twice and when he was done, the child told him that she was going to report him to her granny. It was at this point he decided to kill her and strangled her until she stopped moving. He covered her body with some sand and returned to the house where the granny asked him if he had seen the child. Even though he said that he had left her at the shop, some community members accompanied him to the police station where he confessed to his actions and was arrested.
In aggravation of sentence, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Adv. Mbongeni Mthembu handed in Victim Impact Statements compiled by the child’s mother and granny and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Beaufort Shinga. In their statements, both women spoke of the heartache and devastation they feel at the loss of the child. The granny said that the child was kind-hearted and loving. The child’s mother said that her worst fear has realised losing her child. The man was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment each for murder and the two counts of rape. He will effectively serve life imprisonment.
The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. It is our mandate to prosecute and get justice for all, especially those belonging to vulnerable groups. We hope that this sentence will deter like-minded individuals. We commend the work done by the Prosecution and SAPS.
