By Kabelo Abel Mokgalabone
MALAMULELE: The Malamulele Regional Court has on Thursday, sentenced a 38-year-old man to life imprisonment for the rape of a 19-year-old mentally challenged woman, reports Vhembe Observer.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, in 2017 at Mudavula village, the accused was in the homestead of the victim with her uncle drinking alcohol in the evening. He saw the victim going to the pit toilet behind the house and followed her, he forcefully undressed her in the toilet and raped her.
After the ordeal, he left the victim and continued drinking with her uncle. The victim came out of the toilet crying and reported the matter to her aunt. They called the police, and the accused was arrested the same day.
The name of the accused is concealed to protect the victim as she falls under a vulnerable group. During the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty.
The state advocate Norman Makhubele told the court that this was not the first incident where the victim was raped, he further said that in 2011 the victim was raped and conceived a child; however, she could not tell who the perpetrator is.
“She is a vulnerable victim who cannot identify the father of her child, she can’t even bath or carry out any household duties. Her aunt is taking care of her. Therefore, the court should not deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence”
