A 37-year-old rapist from Mpumalanga has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the Volksrust Regional Court for rape.
Sibusiso Walter Mazibuko was a security guard when he raped a seven-year-old girl on March 18, 2015, as she was returning home from school.
The court heart how Mazibuko found the girl walking with her friends on the day of the incident.
He ordered the children to take a route they did not usually take home, however, they complied with his instructions due to the respect and trust they had for him as a security guard.
As the group of children walked, Mazibuko soon joined them.
The court heard that as the group were walking next to the Mahohwane stream, Mazibuko took the victim’s shoe and threw it into the stream.
He told the other children to proceed on their journey home and told the girl to fetch her shoe from the stream.
Once the other children left, Mazibuko raped the little girl and left her near the stream, helpless and alone.
She was found by a passer-by who immediately called the police.
Police opened a case at the Volksrust police station and the docket was allocated to the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for further investigation.
At the time of his arrest, Mazibuko was still working as a security guard.
He has been in custody since.
Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela welcomed the life sentence and further commended the investigation team, the prosecution team, as well as the judiciary for the job well done.
“Perpetrators of gender-based violence (GBV) remain a challenge in our society and it becomes disturbing when people who are entrusted with the responsibility to protect, are found to be the ones perpetrating these crimes against the vulnerable.
“We hope this sentence will serve as a deterrence to others who might consider emulating the actions of the accused,” Manamela said.
IOL