The court further ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
At the time of the rape, the man was employed as a general worker at a crèche in the Nkomazi area.
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According to evidence presented before the court, the incident occurred on 1 September 2023 at around 15:00, after school hours. The victim and other children were playing on the school premises.
On that day, the man in question, whom the children referred to as “Uncle”, called the victim into the kitchen and closed the door. The victim’s sister, who was eight years old at the time, became suspicious of the whereabouts of the younger sibling and went to check on her. She peeped through the window and saw the man on top of the little girl.
Later that day, while bathing at home, the victim complained to her mother that she was in pain. The older sister then told her mother that she had seen the “uncle” raping her younger sister. The victim also confirmed the incident and identified the person who had raped her.
The matter was immediately reported to the Kamhlushwa police and the case was assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in Tonga. The victim was taken to hospital for a medical examination. Following an investigation, the rapist was arrested in Kamhlushwa on 2 September 2023.
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Help for survivors of gender-based violence
GRIP (Greater Rape Intervention Project) is a Mpumalanga-based organisation dedicated to fighting gender-based-violence and advocating for the rights of survivors of gender-based violence. The organisation can be contacted on +27 83 310 1321.
If you are able to help in any way, please contact Tarryn at ceo@grip.org.za for more information.
To donate, GRIP’s banking details are:
- Bank: Standard Bank
- Name of account: The Greater Nelspruit Rape Intervention Project
- Current account number: 03-259-255-8
You may also click here to donate to GRIP.
