The Scottburgh District Court has sentenced a man convicted of repeatedly raping a boy in Mkhomazi to life in prison.
According to the court, this 38-year-old man raped an 11-year-old victim between 2023 and 2024.
During the trial, it was revealed that the wrestler and the man know each other as they have built a community, the wrestler is a friend of the man’s son.
The evidence presented before the court revealed that the defendant raped her in three separate incidents and every time after the incident, the defendant threatened the victim and warned her not to speak.
It is said that the abscess burst after the third incident, where there was another child who witnessed the victim being raped, and went to report the victim’s mother. It turns out that when the victim’s mother asked her son about this, he became upset because of the abuse he had to face.
It turns out that the matter was reported to the police, which led to the rapist being called for Sigonyela’s bracelets, and the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital for diagnosis.
During the hearing of the case, the State Prosecutor, Mr. Lindokuhle Gumede, led the testimony of the victim, his mother and the child who witnessed the third incident. And the doctor who examined the wrestler presented his own testimony about what he found when examining him.
Gumede also brought before the court the statement of the victim and his mother which they wrote with the help of the Court Preparation Officer, Mrs. Nokukhanya Mkhize, where they expressed how much the incidents affected them. The victim’s mother reveals that since she was raped by a boy, she suddenly changed, she is a person who doesn’t talk anymore and doesn’t like to be with people anymore. He also revealed that even his results at school have dropped significantly.
After listening to all the evidence, the court sentenced the rapist to life imprisonment, decided that he should not carry a gun again, and issued an order that his name be included in the list of sexual abusers, the National Register for Sex Offenders as well as in the list of those who should be carefully employed against children, the Child Protection Register.
The spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Division, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said they accept the life sentence the court handed down to the man.
“The NPA hopes that sentences of this type send a strong message to others who think like the defendant. The defendant violated his place of trust by being an adult and known to him, he thought it better to abuse a child. Children are some of the weakest people in society, they deserve to be protected from all forms of abuse,” said Mrs. Ramkisson-Kara.