Five years after an 18-year-old man was arrested after he raped a girl (12) in Ceres, the young man was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.

The Worcester Regional Court, sitting in Ceres, sentenced Aphiwe Mpambani to direct imprisonment this week.

Though the state prosecutor, Bradferd Newman, asked the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment, the court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence due to the accused’s age when he committed the crime. The accused had no previous convictions, had completed Grade 12, received a tertiary qualification in the interim of the trial and had a minor child.

The court heard that on the evening of 22 November 2019, the girl was with a friend in Thando Street, Nduli, Ceres. Mpambani asked her to go with him, but she refused and told him to leave her alone.

He grabbed her and pulled her into his shack. She screamed and fought back, but he kept her mouth shut with one hand whilst dragging her inside. Despite trying her best to fight him off, Mpambani overpowered her. He did not use a condom.

Mpambani denied that he raped the girl and said that it was consensual.

“The State argued that he dehumanised the girl when he saw her as a means for personal sexual gratification. He permanently deprived her of her innocence, dignity and bodily integrity due to his heinous actions towards her. The court agreed with the State that the victim’s quality of life, education, psychological well-being and overall self-image have been scarred for life due to his acts.

The court highlighted that the accused had shown no remorse for his actions,” said Eric Ntabazalila, Western Cape Communications Manager for National Prosecuting Authority in a statement.