Man jailed for raping 6-yr-old
2008-08-27 13:36
Oris Mnisi
Bushbuckridge - A 24-year-old man has been jailed for life for raping a six-year-old neighbour.
Ruel Mkhonto was sentenced in the Mhala Regional Court in Bushbuckridge, Limpopo, on Tuesday for raping a Grade R child.
Mkhonto had pleaded not guilty, saying he had been playing Snooker with his friends at a local shop at the time the child was raped.
But his friends denied being with him that day.
The little girl testified via a closed-circuit camera that she and her friends were walking down the road between Brendan and Timbavati villages in Acornhoek on April 25 2006 when Mkhonto chased after them.
Her friends ran home, but she was caught, carried into nearby bushes and raped.
Her mother saw her walking towards her house with difficulty. The child was sobbing.
"When I drew nearer I saw she was bleeding badly between her legs and took her to Tintswalo Hospital where doctors confirmed she was raped," said the mother.
The court heard that Mkhonto has other cases pending against him, namely armed robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
- African Eye