Life Imprisonment For Rapist Neighbour

The Ntuzuma Regional Court sentenced a 32-year-old man to life imprisonment, for the repeated rape of his 10-year-old neighbour between December 2020 and April 2021 in the Inanda area. The man was very well-known to the child and her family,  as they lived in a close community. The man first raped the child in his room and threatened to harm her if she tells anyone. He also raped the child on occasion when she fetched water for their home. The man would even go to school, take the child away early under presence so that he could rape her in the bushes nearby.

The offence eventually came to light, when one of the child’s teachers called her parents to school following a change in the child’s behaviour and academic performance.  They also enquired about the “uncle” who would often fetch the child early from school. At this stage, the child told them about what the neighbour was doing to her. In court, the man denied the allegations against him.

State Adv Jenisha Sewbaran led the evidence of the child, the school principal and the doctor.  The child was clear and consistent in her evidence, she relayed the details of the various incidents that took place.  The school principal testified about the child reporting the incidents to her, thus corroborating the child’s evidence. The medical report and doctor’s evidence further supported the state’s case.

In aggravation of sentence,  Adv. Sewbaran submitted a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the child and her mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer, Prudence Geraud. Both their statements reflected how severely the incidents affected their lives as they suffered psychological and emotional trauma and stress.

The man was sentenced accordingly. The National Prosecuting Authority(NPA) welcomes the sentence and applauds the teams that worked on this case to ensure maximum sentence.

Issued by: Natasha Ramkisson-Kara

Regional Spokesperson: DPP KZN

Enquiries: nramkisson@npa.gov.za