LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE OF A MINOR GIRL
The Ermelo Regional Court convicted and sentenced Nkosinathi Thwala (38), to life imprisonment for the rape of a 7-year-old minor girl in Sun City, in March 2019. The victim was on her way home from school when the accused called her into his shack. He raped her and gave her a R10-00 note. When the victim arrived home, her mother noticed that she was holding a R10.00 note, and upon enquiring, she then told her mother that she was raped by the man who gave her the money. She further told her mother that she could point to the man who raped her and the place where he resides. The victim’s parents went to look for the accused and found him in his shack. They confronted him and the police were called, while the minor was taken to a nearby medical centre for treatment.
In court, the accused pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations against him. Prosecutor Chane Rothman led evidence of the victim, the first report and that of a forensic doctor, which was consistent with the victim’s version. The arresting officer also testified from what he observed when arresting the accused and the court found the accused guilty as charged.
In aggravation of sentence, Prosecutor Rothman argued that the evidence of a scooter and the bed inside the accused’s shack was compelling because the victim told the mother about the description of the shack before they saw it, as well as the R10-00 the accused gave the victim. A victim impact statement facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Faith Masango, where the victim drew a picture of a sad little girl crying, was presented. She detailed that since the incident happened, she has been living in fear and afraid of the accused because he threatened to kill her should she report the ordeal. The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment and declared unfit to work with children and the court ordered his name to be entered into the Register for Sex Offenders.
The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga, Sonja Ntuli welcomes the sentence and applauds the prosecutor and the investigating officer for the job well done. “We hope that this sentence will deter would-be offenders who commit similar crimes against society’s most vulnerable groups.
