DURBAN – A caring neighbour alerted police to a 13-year-old girl who was being trafficked in Durban. This led to the Durban Regional Court recently sentencing a 32-year-old man to double life imprisonment for the rape and trafficking of the girl between December 2023 and February 2024.
The girl’s mother, who pleaded guilty, was also arrested and sentenced.
According to Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, a regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, the man and the girl’s mother made an arrangement that she would allow him to have sex with the girl in return for payment.
The girl’s mother took her to town, telling her they were going to buy Christmas clothes. She handed the girl over to the man, who kept her overnight and raped her more than once. The man gave the girl R340 the following morning.
Once home, the girl told her mother what had happened and was told that the man was going to be her husband and pay lobola.
The girl was taken to the accused on another occasion, where she was once again raped.
Confided in a neighbour
The girl confided in a neighbour who helped her to open a case. The man and the girl’s mother were arrested at the girl’s house.
Following their arrests, the girl received medical treatment and legal assistance at the Umlazi Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC).
In court, Prosecutor Sphindile Precious Ntombela led the testimony of the complainant, her neighbour and the doctor who examined the girl.
In her victim impact statement, the young girl said she feels terrible and will never be like her former self. She pleaded with the court to give the man a harsh sentence.
The complainant’s aunt said in a statement that the girl’s behaviour changed following her ordeal and she is now angry and rude to those around her. She is struggling at school and is unable to sleep at night.
Sentencing
The court sentenced the man to life imprisonment for rape and life imprisonment for human trafficking. The sentences will run concurrently and his name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was declared unfit to work with children.
“Our fight against the scourge of sexual violence has been aided by the expansion of the TCC footprint across the country, which has grown from 55 TCCs in 2020/2021 to 66 TCCs at present. These centres provide comprehensive services and support to victims of sexual violence,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
