FAMILY FRIEND SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE OF A MINOR
The Nelspruit Sexual Offences Court convicted and sentenced Mduduzi Khozi (24), to life imprisonment for the rape minor girl (7). The accused was a family friend and a patient at church where the complainant was a pastor. Prior to the incident, the accused felt sick and went to his pastor’s house to get help and stayed with them as a family member in Sandriver Trust, Hazyview. On 05 November 2019, the complainant went to church and left the victim with her aunt and the accused. The accused took the victim to his room and raped her. The victim immediately reported the matter to her aunt and the accused was arrested same day.
In court the accused denied the allegations levelled against him and pleaded not guilty. State Prosecutor Jacqui Letsoalo, relied on viva voice evidence of the victim who testified with the assistance of intermediary services. The first report and victim’s mother. The evidence of the doctor who examined the victim was led it confirmed that the victim sustained injuries due the rape. The court found the evidence of the state witnesses reliable and credible, and the accused was convicted. In aggravation of sentence Prosecutor Letsoalo argued that the accused failed to prove the existence of exceptional circumstances to justify deviation from the prescribed ordained sentence. Instead, he destroyed the trust position the family had in him and took advantage of the victim. Magistrate Agenbag sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.
The court ordered the accused person’s name to be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders, he was declared unfit to work with children and unsuitable to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the firearms Control Act 60 of 2000. The National Prosecuting Authority commends the prosecutor and the investigating officer for the work job well done and hope that this sentence will bring closure to the victim’s family and address the scourge of gender-based violence.
