A 22-year-old Mozambican national has been condemned to spend the rest of his life in a South African prison for the brutal rape of a four-year-old girl. The sentencing was handed down this week at the Mbombela regional court, bringing a sense of grim closure to a community rocked by the 2022 attack.
The court heard how the young victim’s father had sent her on a simple errand to the neighbour’s home, a task that should have been entirely safe. Instead, she encountered the man alone. According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa, the accused seized the opportunity to commit his monstrous crime. “The man lured the child into his bedroom and raped her,” Nyuswa stated. The little girl’s ordeal only came to light when her mother began to search for her.
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Mozambican Man Jailed For Life For Raping 4-Year Toddler Neighbour
The child’s mother described the harrowing moment she found her daughter. Nyuswa relayed the scene:
“The child emerged crying, reporting pain in her private area and identifying the accused as the perpetrator.”
The physical evidence was immediately apparent and damning.
“The mother noticed disarranged clothing and semen on her thighs,” Nyuswa added.
When confronted, the man refused to admit any wrongdoing and fled the scene as an angry crowd of neighbours gathered. The child was rushed to the Rob Ferreira Thuthuzela care centre, where a medical examination provided the crucial evidence that would seal her attacker’s fate.
The Long Arm of the Law
Despite the overwhelming evidence, the man maintained his innocence in court. He claimed the allegations were a malicious fabrication by the victim’s father. However, State prosecutor Zamo Mathebula presented a compelling case, built on the victim’s own testimony, definitive DNA analysis, and a J88 medical report that documented her injuries.
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The magistrate, Vanessa Joubert, found the state’s evidence utterly convincing and dismissed the accused’s version of events as not only false but implausible. She sentenced him to life imprisonment for the rape and a further two years for contravening the Immigration Act, ensuring he will never again pose a threat to the community.