A shepherd who chased after a 13-year-old girl walking home and raped her at Dewetsdorp in the Free State, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.
The Bloemfontein Regional Court has sentenced Poloko David Motsukunyane, 35, to 22 years imprisonment for the rape of the teenager.
Motsukunyane was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to rape that took place on January 29, 2023.
The victim and her friend were walking home in Dewetsdorp when the accused, who was a shepherd and tending to livestock at the time, chased after the two girls.
“He caught the complainant and raped her. He threatened to kill her if she reported the matter to anyone,” NPA regional spokesperson, Phalade Shuping said.
Shuping added that the victim did not report the matter when she arrived home, but community members heard about the incident, hunted down the accused, and assaulted him.
"The police intervened, and the accused was taken for medical attention. The complainant was also sent to Tshepong Thuthuzela Care Centre for a medical examination," Shuping said.
Shuping said that the accused pleaded guilty to a charge of rape, and in mitigation, his legal representative argued for a lesser sentence, stating that the accused has been in custody for eight months and he pleaded guilty, thereby saving the victim from the further trauma of testifying in court and having to relive the incident.
However, the State prosecutor, advocate Louis York, in aggravation of sentence, read the victim impact statement, facilitated by Maggie Faas, in which the victim stated that the incident had changed her life in that she is now afraid of men and cannot sleep at night.
She further stated that the incident has negatively affected her school performance.
Magistrate Mxolisi Saliwa said that the accused pleading guilty was a sign of remorse, but it was not sufficient ground to hand down a lesser sentence, and accordingly, handed the accused a sentence of 22 years of direct imprisonment, as there were no substantial and compelling circumstances justifying a lesser sentence.
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