Life imprisonment for man who raped minor, silenced her with R4

A 33-year old man from Botlokwa, Limpopo, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of his girlfriend’s 13-year old daughter. Following the rape, he tried to silence the young victim by giving her R4.00.

It is said, around March 2023 at Sekonye in Botlokwa, the accused had instructed the victim to clean the pit toilet in the afternoon while the mother was inside the house.

The victim went to the toilet as instructed and the accused followed, entered the toilet and closed the door with her inside. He then told the victim to undress herself before raping her.

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After the ordeal, he gave her R4.00 to silence her. The following day, while the accused was at work, the victim reported the incident to her mother and the matter escalated to the police and the accused was arrested.

The names of both the victim and the accused are withheld to protect the identity of the victim. The man was sentenced by the Morebeng Regional Court last week.

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In aggravation of sentence, the state prosecutor, Andrew Kgatle argued that the accused had a duty to protect the victim against potential rapist, instead he became the rapist.

He further submitted that there are no substantial and compelling circumstances for the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence and the court agreed and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment. He had pleaded not guilty.

The NPA in Limpopo welcomed the sentence regarding the rape case in Botlokwa. Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Ivy Thenga, stated that it is the NPA’s commitment to ensure that victims of Gender-Based Violence receive justice.

She further praised the diligent work of the prosecutor and other stakeholders involved in securing the conviction.