Johannesburg - A 46-year-old man has been sentenced to life and five years imprisonment for the rape and attempted murder of a 5-year-old child in the Mhlasini area of KwaZulu-Natal in 2021.
The man was sentenced at the Verulam Regional Court. The child, who was 5 years old at the time, had gone to live with her grandmother.
“The man is HIV positive and aware of his status; he was the granny’s partner, and they shared a child. The man raped the child on several occasions (when the grandmother was either asleep or out of the house running errands) and threatened to kill her if she told anyone,” read an NPA statement.
“In the last instance, the granny 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.”
The statement said she noticed that he had not used protection, either.
The grandmother then 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, rendering her helpless. During this time, the child told her granny that she had been raped several times before.
“The following morning, the man returned the house keys and cellphone to the granny and went to work,” added the statement.
He was arrested shortly after, and the child was taken to the Phoenix Thuthuzela Care Centre, where she received psycho-social services, counselling and support.
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 was HIV positive.
“Further, the court deemed him unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders,” added the NPA.
The Star