By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
A 52-YEAR-OLD man from Kolong village, near Taung, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Taung Regional Court for raping a girl.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said the evidence presented in court revealed that Ratiki Radebe raped the victim several times between December 2020 and March 2021.
“Radebe is said to have worked at a cattle post near the victim’s home, and he would on various occasions request to charge his cell phone there. He would occasionally also give them milk at times.
“The victim’s ordeal was discovered when she spent a night at the accused place. She was later found next to a nearby river by a villager. The victim then reported her entire ordeal to her mother and a rape case was reported,” he said.
In mitigation, Mamothame said the accused said living with the knowledge that he took the virginity of the victim is punishment. He further said, Radebe told the court that, the victim approached him and requested to be his second wife.
In aggravation of the sentence, the state prosecutor, Tecia Khula, urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment. She argued that the accused took advantage of the trust the family had in him including of the helpless minor.
Magistrate Bhuti Zulu agreed with the state as he found no compelling circumstances to justify a deviation from imposing life imprisonment on Radebe.
Meanwhile, the North West Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Rachel Makhari Sekhaolelo lauded Khula and Detective Sergeant Tolamo Ketlhoilwe for their collaboration in achieving a successful conviction.
“The protection of children against such heinous offenses is critical, hence a united front is necessary to root out perpetrators and place them in jail where they belong”, she concluded.
The Guardian 