By REGINALD KANYANE
11 November 2026 – An uncle has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his niece (12) on three separate occasions in Etwatwa, Gauteng. The incident took place between October 2019 and June 2021.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said a man (41), sentenced by the Benoni Regional Court, which also imposed a five-year prison term for assault with intent to cause Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH). Mahanjana said the court ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
“He was further ordered to be placed on the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared unfit to work with children. The offences occurred while the child was living with her grandparents and older sister.
“During the first incident in October 2019, the accused raped the child in an outside toilet at the family home during a wedding. He threatened to kill her, if she revealed what had happened,” she said.
Mahanjana further said on two subsequent occasions, when the child was home alone while her grandmother was at work, the uncle allegedly visited the house, pushed her to the floor, raped her and assaulted her. She added thay the abuse came to light in June 2021, when the child’s older sister noticed a change in her behaviour and asked her what was wrong.
“The child then disclosed the incidents to her sister, who informed their grandmother. The grandmother subsequently reported the matter to the police. Following investigations, the accused was arrested on 26 September 2022 at Boksburg Prison, where he was already serving a five-year sentence for sexual assault.
“During the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty and denied raping his niece. However, the state prosecutor, Refiloe Neluonde successfully presented the state’s case through the testimony of the child, who testified with the assistance of intermediary services, as well as evidence from her sister,” said Mahanjana.
During sentencing proceedings, she said the accused, through his legal representative, asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, arguing that he had already spent more than three years in custody awaiting trial. Mahanjana said Neluonde opposed the application, arguing that life imprisonment was appropriate given the seriousness of the offences.
“She told the court that the accused had committed the crimes while on parole in another matter and had exploited the child’s vulnerability and the trust associated with their family relationship.
“Instead of protecting his niece, he abused his position of trust and repeatedly subjected her to sexual violence. She further argued that he had shown no remorse, as he continued to deny the offences and had failed to take responsibility for his actions,” she said.
The acting Regional Court Magistrate, Mamelo Mafisa agreed with the state’s submissions, finding that the accused had abused the trust placed in him and demonstrated no remorse. Mafisa said no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify deviating from the prescribed minimum sentence and consequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the Director of Public Prosecutions in Gauteng, Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi, welcomed the sentence and commended the prosecutor and investigating officer, Warrant Officer Mafuko Alfred Shokwane of the Benoni Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, for their work in securing the conviction and sentence. Mzinyathi said the NPA hoped the sentence would send a strong message that sexual offences against children and other vulnerable members of society would not be tolerated and that perpetrators would be held accountable.
“We urge members of the public not to be discouraged by the passage of time when reporting sexual offences, emphasising that such crimes should be reported to the police regardless of how much time has elapsed to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice,” she said.
