By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

5 February 2015- A man (27) was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by the Bloemhof Regional Court for rape. The accused, Alfred Matlawe raped a girl (7).

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in North West, Sivenathi Gunya, in December 2017, the victim was playing with the accused younger brother outside the house. Gunya said Matlawe, who was alone in the house, called the victim inside the house held her by hand and took her to the bedroom.

Gunya said in the bedroom, he undressed her and self. He further said Matlawe inserted his private part in her mouth and later in her anus.

“The helpless child started to scream, which led the accused to stop raping her. The victim ran outside of the house crying for help. The younger brother of the accused noticed that the victim was crying and asked her what was wrong.

“She informed the younger brother what had transpired, however, the accused denied the allegations. The victim did not report the incident because of fear, but reported it in September 2018, after the accused was arrested for a different case,” said Gunya.

He added that, after Matlawe was arrested for another case, the child revealed what he did to her nine months ago to her mother. Gunya said the mother opened a case with the police.

“The statements were obtained from the victim and younger sibling of the accused, who saw the victim crying after the incident. The accused was then charged with rape.

“The state managed to secure a conviction based on the evidence of the victim and the younger sibling of the accused,” he said.

In arguing for a harsh sentence, state prosecutor, Thamsanqa Tamele, indicated to the court the prevalence of violation of women and children in the country and that the victim is one of the vulnerable groups of people and needs protection from the courts. Tamele told the court that the victim was defenceless and the accused took advantage of that.

“We urge the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment,” he said.

Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, welcomed the sentence and commended all the role players, who ensured that justice was served to the victim.

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