Durban - A 63-year-old man was sentenced to 18 years of direct imprisonment by the Ladysmith Regional Court in KwaZulu-Natal for the rape of his 15-year-old neighbour last year.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said the incident took place in April 2022.
“On the day of the incident, the girl was in the company of other children from the neighbourhood when he called her to an outbuilding and raped her,” she said.
Ramkisson-Kara said the accused then gave the teenager money and told her not to tell anyone.
“The incident was witnessed by one of the children who had followed the girl to the outbuilding and peeped through the door. The child immediately informed other elders and the man was arrested,” she said.
In court, Regional Court Prosecutor Bongisipho Mthembu led the evidence of the girl and the witness.
Mthembu argued on the severity and prevalence of the offence as well as the man being an elder in a position of trust as he was well known to the girl.
“Although the man had been charged with rape (read with the provisions of the minimum sentence legislation), the court found that there were compelling and substantial circumstances and therefore did not invoke a sentence of life imprisonment,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
She said the court however ruled that in the instance where he was considered for parole, the girl had the right to make representations in this regard.
Ramkisson-Kara said further rulings were that he was declared unsuitable to work with children and his name was included in the National Register for Sex Offenders.
“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter, as it affirms our commitment to curbing the scourge of rape and sexual offences. We commend the work done by the prosecution and SAPS,” she added.