Judges crack down on child rape

2004-04-26 22:03

Pretoria - Two child rapists were sentenced - one to life imprisonment and one to 16 years' - by Pretoria judges on Monday.

Both rapists are first offenders and have little schooling.

Judge Johan Els sentenced 34-year-old Johannes Macheke of Bapsfontein to life imprisonment for raping an eight-year-old girl in March 2003.

The little girl was on her way to visit an uncle when Macheke grabbed her, dragged her into the bush and raped her.

A passerby chased and arrested him, only to find he had to protect Macheke when members of the community assaulted him.

Macheke has two children of his own.

According to a report by a social worker, his victim's school work had deteriorated and she had serious psychological trauma.

Els said adults could not be allowed to molest and rape children.

Removed him from society

It was reaching a stage where children could no longer move around on South African streets out of fear of being attacked.

He said the courts should impose sentences that would deter other would-be offenders and, in Macheke's case, remove him from society so that he would not get the opportunity of doing something like that again.

In another trial, Judge Phineas Mojapelo sentenced 23-year-old Seun Maluleka of Hammanskraal to 16 years' imprisonment for raping a 10-year-old girl.

Maluleka had raped the girl in front of her brother after luring her to his room with sweets and cool drink.

The terrified girl reported the rape only three days later because he had threatened to beat her up if she said anything.

The court heard that the girl had changed from an extroverted, happy child into a girl who was afraid of strangers and lived in fear that Maluleka would carry out his threat.

Maluleka initially insisted he was innocent, but later admitted he had raped the girl and told the court he "felt pity" about what he did.

Mojapelo said he regarded Maluleka's clean criminal record, low levels of intelligence and education, difficult childhood years and the fact that he had decided to represent himself in his criminal trial as circumstances justifying a lesser sentence than life imprisonment.

Maluleka never knew his mother and was raised by his sister after his father died when he was only 13 years old.

'The message must go out...'

"It is unfortunate that offences such as these are prevalent in this country. Young children are being violated at a very vulnerable age by adults such as you.

"The community cries out for the protection of young children.

"The message has to go out that children are the treasure of the community and not articles to be abused," said Mojapelo.

"Factors in your past have saved you from going to jail for life. I urge you to withdraw the threats you have uttered against the child.

"You must take full responsibility for your actions. The sentence must teach you one day when you have children to treat them with love and not violence."

- SAPA