MBOMBELA- The Nelspruit Sexual Offences Court has sentenced a 35-year-old Mozambican man to life imprisonment for the rape of his 11-year-old daughter.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the accused and the victim lived together in Clau Clau Trust. Before the assaults, he made disturbing remarks to his daughter, claiming he did not “bore her to be penetrated by other men.” In November 2018, he began raping her and threatened her to remain silent. The abuse came to light when the victim’s mother noticed behavioural changes in her daughter, prompting her to alert the police. The accused was subsequently arrested.
He pleaded not guilty, deflecting blame onto a family friend and the victim’s brother. State Prosecutor Leana Jones presented compelling evidence, including the victim’s testimony detailing the rape on the kitchen table.
READ | https://mpmirroronline.co.za/step-grandfather-sentenced-for-rape-of-minor/
The victim’s mother and brother corroborated her account, and a medical report substantiated the assault. During the trial, it emerged that the accused had threatened the family from prison, further intimidating them. Magistrate Vanessa Joubert found the State’s witnesses credible and reliable, rejecting the accused’s version as implausible.
The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment, with additional orders to protect society and vulnerable children. The court also ordered his name to be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders, declared him unfit to work with children, and prohibited him from possessing a firearm.
