marble nkomo
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
A 26-year-old Esigodini man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually abusing his five-year-old sister.
The man, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, had pleaded not guilty to aggravated indecent assault when he appeared before Gwanda regional magistrate, Mrs Sithembiso Ndebele. He was, however, convicted on the strength of overwhelming evidence.
Prosecuting, Ms Rest Mguni said the accused, who is from Msizini Village, inserted his finger into the complainant’s private parts and also licked them.
“On 5 November 2025 at around 6PM the accused person found the complainant and another child playing outside his homestead. He called the complainant into his bedroom and she complied while his friend remained outside.
“The accused person then took advantage of the complainant’s solitude and inserted his finger into the complainant’s private parts and went on to lick them. The matter came to light when the complainant went back to her home and narrated the matter to her uncle and mother. The matter was reported to the police who conducted investigations leading to the arrest of the accused person,” said Ms Mguni.
In his defence, the accused said he had found the complainant and another child playing outside his home. He claimed he placed a paper bag he had brought from the shops inside his bedroom and went in with it. The accused alleged that when he came out, he found the children drinking beverages from the paper bag and that they ran away on seeing him. He insisted that was the last time he saw them.
In her testimony, recorded on camera, the complainant said she had been playing with her friend outside the accused’s homestead when he called her into his bedroom. She said he went on to sexually abuse her.
The complainant’s mother and uncle told the court they had been searching for her and could not locate her, and that when she eventually returned home, she disclosed what the accused had done.
The magistrate said the court found no reason to doubt the State’s evidence, noting that the accused had also confirmed that the complainant had been at his homestead playing with other children.
In passing sentence, the magistrate said she had considered the significant age difference between the accused and the complainant, which is 21 years. She said the complainant, being just five years old, was extremely vulnerable.
She added that the complainant could suffer lifelong trauma as a result of the accused’s actions. Ms Ndebele said that as the complainant’s brother, the accused had a duty to protect her rather than inflict harm.
“The accused person is a brother to the complainant, which means he was supposed to protect her but went on to harm her. The accused person is a danger to the community as he targets little children and therefore a deterrent sentence is needed which will serve as a lesson to like-minded people,” she said.
— @DubeMatutu.
Online Reporter