A 61-year-old former Department of Public Service and Administration official and deacon at the International Assemblies of God Church has been sentenced to life in prison for raping his 10-year-old niece.
The sentence was handed down by the The Pretoria Magistrates’ Court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson of the Gauteng Division, Lumka Mahanjana said the court heard that the victim was residing with her aunt, who was married to the accused.
“On November 17, 2017 the victim and the man were moving some of their belongings to their new residence in Mamelodi East, Tsakane Section,” Mahanjana said.
“On arrival, the man raped his niece and instructed her not to report the incident, claiming they were simply ‘playing’ a game.”
A year later the victim’s aunt learned of the rape attack and reported it to police on November 18, 2018.
The man was arrested on February 2, 2019.
“In court, he pleaded not guilty to the charge, suggesting that his wife had conspired against him to remove him from the family,” added Mahanjana.
However, State Prosecutor Advocate Annelizer Stiles put numerous witnesses to the stand.
They included the victim, a medical professional, and the accused’s wife, all of whom gave convincing evidence to prove the man’s guilt.
During the sentencing procedures, the man asked the court to consider imposing a sentence of correctional monitoring. Advocate Stiles vehemently opposed this, stating that the severity of the offence deserved life imprisonment.
She emphasised that the accused breached the confidence of a vulnerable youngster who saw him as a father figure and abused his position of authority.
During the hearings, Advocate Stiles presented a Victim Impact Report (VIR) facilitated by social workers from the Department of Social Development. The report showed that the victim’s academic performance suffered significantly, and she is now dealing with despair and emotional trauma as a result of the rape.
The accused’s wife in her victim impact statement handed to the court said this caused the breakup of her marriage and had a negative impact on family relations, including estrangement from her elder children, who blamed her for their father’s detention.
IOL