OR Tambo District Commissioner,
Major General Pumzile Cetyana, commended the sentencing in the Mthatha Regional
Court on Monday, May 13, where a Mandela Park resident received two life
sentences and an additional 20 years’ imprisonment.
The individual was convicted for
the prolonged sexual assault of his girlfriend’s minor daughter, a series of
abuses that took place over several years in their one-bedroom apartment in
Mandela Park, typically when the mother was not present. Additionally, he raped a
13-year-old girl who visited their home, with the assaults taking place in
December 2020 and January 2021.
According to police spokesperson,
Captain Welile Matyolo, during 2014, while the accused was staying with his
girlfriend and her nine-year-old daughter in a one-roomed flat in Mandela Park,
he sexually assaulted the child when her mother was not at home.
Matyolo said his actions continued
until 2018 when he thought that the victim was old enough to be raped.
Thereafter, he raped her and
threatened her to keep quiet about his crime.
“During 2020, the second
victim, who was 13 years old at the time, visited them in Mandela Park in
December for a vacation when she too, was raped in January 2021,” Matyolo concluded.
In 2023, the first victim reported
the sexual abuse to her mother, who immediately reported the matter to the
police.
The accused was arrested and
remained in custody until the finalisation of the case.
On Monday, May
13, the rapist was sentenced as follows:
• Count 1: Sexual assault – 10
years imprisonment.
• Count 2: Rape – Life
imprisonment.
• Count 3: Sexual assault – 10
years imprisonment.
• Count 4: Rape – Life
imprisonment.
The other sentences will run
concurrently with the two life sentences.
Major General Cetyana has praised
the outstanding investigation by the investigating officer, D/Sgt Matolonke
Danisa, in ensuring that perpetrators who exploit children are incarcerated and
sent to jail for a long time.
“No mercy shall be spared to those who
inflict harm on the vulnerable. We appreciate the good work of our
investigators who work tirelessly in collaboration with the prosecuting
authority so as to ensure convictions in court,” said Cetyana.
