A 56-year-old man from the Saselamani area was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou on Tuesday, 19 September, for the rape of his 14-year-old stepdaughter.
The court heard that on Monday, 25 February 2019, the man (who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim) went to his wife's residence, where he found the girl alone. The man promised her a job and left, but returned a few hours later, took her into the bushes, and raped her.
A case of rape was opened that was transferred to the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offense Unit for investigation by Detective Sergeant Precious Nkuna, whose sterling investigative work led to the arrest of the man the following day. The accused remained in custody from his arrest until his conviction. He was also declared unfit to ever possess a firearm, and his particulars have been included in the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
The sentence has been hailed as a triumph in the fight against gender-based violence. Mr Richard Mukhaninga Ramabulana from the Vhembe Concerned Group said the sentence was refreshing and suitable. "As champions against gender-based violence, we are very pleased and satisfied by the way the courts are dealing with such cases. The sentence is very appropriate, and we feel it will serve as a deterrent to would-be rapists. It will send a strong message out there that crime does not pay and we hope to see a decline in gender-based violence cases. Our urge to the courts is that they speed up other cases because some take a long time, to the extent that some of victims even pass on before justice is served," he said.