Sidumisile Mabena
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
A 36-YEAR-OLD man from Esigodini has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping his 14-year-old niece after declaring his love for her before sexually attacking her in a bushy area. The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the complainant, was convicted of rape by Gwanda regional magistrate Mrs Sithembiso Ndebele.
Prosecuting, Mr Ngonidzashe Shumba told the court that the offence occurred on April 24 after the complainant had been sent by her mother to deliver a bucket of maize to a neighbour’s homestead.
“On 24 April at around 8AM, the complainant was sent by her mother to deliver a bucket of maize at a neighbour’s homestead. On her way, she found her uncle sleeping on a rock, but she bypassed him and proceeded on her way,” said Mr Shumba.
The court heard that later in the afternoon, while returning home, the complainant encountered the accused again, who was still seated on the rock but now awake.
“The accused person approached the complainant and shook her hand as a way of greeting her. He then dragged her by the hand and told her that he had loved her for a very long time,” said Mr Shumba.
The accused then dragged the complainant into a nearby bush, where he raped her before threatening her not to report the matter.
The complainant later informed her mother about the incident, leading to a report being made to the police and the subsequent arrest of the accused.
In his defence, the accused denied the allegations and told the court that the case had been fabricated by relatives to settle a family dispute.
“I didn’t commit the offence and I never met the complainant on that particular day. The complainant is my niece and therefore I see her as my own daughter as she is my brother’s child and there is no way I could have done such a terrible thing,” he said.
derick.khumalo