Sibusiso Ngele (43) of Lindelani Township in KwaDukuza, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Stanger Regional Court yesterday for the rape of a six-year old girl. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National register for sex offenders.
Ngele was a friend of the complainant’s family and regularly visited their house. The victim referred to him and treated him as her uncle. The rape took place in March 2013 when the accused found the complainant playing outside her house. He carried her on his shoulders and promised to buy her chips at the shop. He then took her into nearby bushes where he raped her.
According to the child’s mother, she had left the child to play in the yard and was sleeping when the incident occurred. When she went outside to look for the child, she was not there, the mother said. She and her neighbours then looked for the child without success. About two hours later, she saw the accused coming down the road with the child. He left the child on the road near her house when he saw them. The child’s mother said that the accused ran away when she called out to him.
Initially, the child had cried and didn’t tell her mother what had happened but she eventually told her aunt about the rape. The matter was immediately reported to the police and the accused was arrested.
During the trial Ngele denied that he had raped the child and instead said that he had taken the child to a children’s birthday party in the neighbourhood. He told the court that the victim’s parents had given him permission to take her to the party. However, both the parents denied this.
He also undertook to call the lady of the house where the alleged birthday party was held so that she could tell the court that she saw him with the child and that the child was fine. However, under cross examination by regional court prosecutor, Goodman Makhanya, the accused could not provide the address of the house where he said the birthday party took place. The state also led evidence from a doctor who confirmed that the child was raped.
The National Prosecuting Authority is very pleased with this sentence. We hope that it will serve as a deterrent to like-minded individuals who contemplate such heinous crimes.
Enquiries:
Nathi Mncube, NPA Spokesperson
Cell: 084 814 8364
E-mail: media@npa.gov.za
