A 31-year-old man from Nkosane location, a rural area under Matatiele local municipality in Eastern Cape, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of his step-child.
The sentencing was handed down by the Maluti regional court on Wednesday.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the 31-year-old raped the 13-year-old girl at their home in December 2022.
Home alone
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said when the rape happened, the mother of the girl had left her on her own at night while she attended a traditional ceremony.
She had instructed the teenager to sleep over at the neighbour’s homestead, but she fell asleep while watching TV at her home.
The child’s step-father, who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, allegedly arrived at home and woke her up.
“She was woken up by the step-father who tricked her into opening the door by pretending to be with the mother,” said Tyali.
“When the step-daughter opened the door, the man overpowered and raped her.”
The victim reported the rape the next day and was taken to Matatiele Thuthuzela Care Centre, where she received psycho-social and medical treatment before the step-father was arrested.
Accused pleads not guilty
In court, the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed that the victim was falsely implicating him because she wanted her mother to marry her biological father.
Prosecutor Lubabalo Msongelwa led the evidence of the victim and managed to convince the court that the accused was guilty of the crime.
Msongelwa pleaded with the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment for the rape of a minor.
Regional court magistrate Nombuso Nqwenani agreed with the prosecutor and sentenced the accused to life in prison.
The sentencing follows a horrific case of a mother and her boyfriend who conspired to rape her daughter.
According to police, the girl was allegedly repeatedly raped by the boyfriend in 2019 and before then.
The duo have been appearing in the Kabokweni magistrate’s court near White River in Mpumalanga. They remain in detention.
