Johannesburg – A man found guilty of rape was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Greytown regional court, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Friday.

Bheki Mchunu, 50, was sentenced for raping a seven-year-old girl, said NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.

Mchunu, who was in a relationship with the girl’s aunt at the time and was a friend of her father, raped her on two occasions.

The court heard that the girl’s mother confronted her after being told she was walking strangely.

The girl told her that Mchunu had raped her and testified in court through an intermediary.

“Further evidence from the doctor confirmed that the bruises to the child’s body were indicative of rape,” said Ramkisson-Kara.

She said state prosecutor Premie Naidoo had argued that there were “no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the minimum sentence of life”.

SAPA