A man, aged 60, was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his six-year-old step-granddaughter at Topanama in Limpopo.
For illegal immigration, the 60-year-old man was sentenced to an additional two years by the Lenyenye Regional Court.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the man pleaded not guilty.
"During the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty, and the court heard that on January 1, 2020, in Topanama village, the accused was sleeping on the veranda with the victim and her grandmother, when he raped the victim," said NPA spokesperson in the Limpopo Division, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
"The grandmother did not hear or see anything as she was heavily drunk. The accused was caught by the victim’s uncle, who called the police," Malabi-Dzhangi said.
Prosecutor Pearl Ledwaba presented evidence from an eyewitness account and medical reports that confirmed the girl was raped.
In aggravation of the sentence, Ledwaba submitted that children were the most vulnerable members of society, and they needed protection.
Ledwaba said that the State was duty-bound to protect those children by removing the perpetrators of crimes from the community. Ledwaba also told the court that there were no substantial or compelling circumstances for the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence.
"The court agreed with the State and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment," Malabi-Dzhangi said.
Meanwhile, in the North West, Dingaan Solomon Moloi, 39, from Letlhakeneng outside Brits, was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his 29-year-old girlfriend, Mothomang Masienyane. He was sentenced in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
NPA spokesperson in the Gauteng division, Lumka Mahanjana, said Moloi admitted to assaulting Masienyane, but denied killing her.
Mahanjana said that according to evidence in court, Moloi walked to a stranger's house on March 8, 2022, to ask for help. He claimed Masienyane fell on the road while they were on their way to his parents' home. The man at the house asked Moloi to bring Masienyane over, to check what was wrong, and when he arrived with her, it was discovered that she was dead.
"The police were called, and when they arrived they went to Moloi’s place of residence which he shared with the deceased. Upon arrival, they found blood stains in and around the house. Moloi was then taken in for questioning and later released," Mahanjana said.
Mahanjana added that Moloi was arrested again after DNA evidence linked him to the murder.
IOL