Durban – The Verulam Regional Court sentenced a 46-year-old man to life and five years imprisonment for the rape and attempted murder of a child.
National Prosecuting Authority(NPA) regional spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said the incident took place in the Mhlasini area in 2021.
Ramkisson-Kara said the child, who was five years of age at the time, had gone to live with her grandmother..
“The man, who is HIV-positive and aware of his status, was the granny’s partner and they shared a child. The man raped the child on several occasions (when the granny was either asleep or out of the house running errands), and threatened to kill her if she told anyone,” she said.
During the last incident, the grandmother had put the children to bed and was outside when the man decided to rape the child again.
“This time, the granny walked in on him while he was raping the child. She noticed that he had not used protection either. She confronted him about what was going on but he denied anything and locked all the doors, keeping them inside.
“He even took away the granny’s cellphone, thus rendering her helpless. During this time, the child told her granny that she had been raped several times before,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
Ramkisson-Kara the following morning, the man returned the house keys and cellphone to the grandmother and went to work.
“It was at this point that they contacted the child’s mother and the matter was reported to the police,” she said.
The man was arrested shortly after, and the child was taken to the Phoenix Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where she received the necessary psycho-social services, counselling, and support, she said.
In court, Regional Court prosecutor Ishara Sewnarayan led the testimonies of the child, the first report (her grandmother), and the doctor from the TCC.
Ramkisson-Kara said Sewnarayan also handed in a victim impact statement compiled by the child and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer, Bongiwe Qwabe, wherein the child noted the devastating effects that the incident has had on her life.
“The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, and five years’ imprisonment for attempted murder, as he had unprotected sex with the child, knowing that he is HIV positive,” she said.
She added that the court also deemed the accused unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
“The NPA welcomes this successful prosecution and we commend the work done by the prosecution and police. We hope that sentences of this nature will have the necessary deterrent effect.”