10-year-old KZN girl left with ‘anger towards men’ after repeated rapes by mother’s boyfriend

A 43-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man who used his position of trust to repeatedly rape a 10-year-old girl has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Scottburgh Regional Court.

The horrific details of the abuse, which took place in Zwelisha on the KZN south coast between 2021 and 2022, revealed a child living in a state of constant terror. At the time, the accused was in a romantic relationship with the victim's mother.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the man would take the girl to his house, located near her family home, where he raped her. He ensured her silence through extreme intimidation, having "threatened to kill both the complainant and her mother if she disclosed the abuse."

The ordeal came to light only in December 2022. After another incident, the girl went to a friend's house to play and finally found the courage to speak out. She confided in her friend, who told her mother. The victim's mother was then alerted, and the child was taken to a medical facility. A doctor later confirmed that clinical findings were “consistent with the allegations of repeated sexual assault.”

While the court handed down the maximum sentence, the emotional damage remains.

During the trial, Prosecutor Thanusha Govender led testimony from the mother, who detailed the devastating change in her daughter’s personality.

The court heard that the girl now “displays fear” and “struggles to concentrate at school”. Most notably, the mother testified that the child has developed a profound “anger towards men”.

NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the authority hopes the life sentence serves as a stern warning to others. “In this matter, the accused abused a position of trust and authority. Members of society have a responsibility to protect children,” she said.

The court further ordered:

• The accused be declared unfit to possess a firearm.
• His name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
• His name be entered into the Child Protection Register.

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