KURUMAN – A 63-year-old man has been handed a 10-year direct imprisonment sentence by the Kuruman Regional Court following his conviction for the attempted rape of a seven-year-old girl.
The court proceedings concluded a thorough investigation into the harrowing incident that took place in early 2024. According to the facts presented, the ordeal began on Tuesday, 16 January 2024, when the accused lured the young victim to his residence under the pretext of needing assistance with washing dishes.
Once inside the home, the man escorted the child to his bedroom, where he undressed and proceeded to attempt to rape her. The assault was ultimately thwarted when the young girl began to cry. The accused subsequently halted the attack, ordered the child to get dressed, and instructed her to keep the incident a secret.
The crime remained hidden until Sunday, 28 January 2024, when the victim’s mother grew suspicious of her behavior and reported the matter to the Kuruman Police Station. Authorities opened a case of attempted rape and assigned the docket to Detective Constable Vellile Zwelibanzi, an investigator attached to the Kuruman Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit. Through meticulous investigative work, the detective successfully built a solid case against the perpetrator.
Facing the evidence, the accused was found guilty in the regional court. In addition to the 10-year custodial sentence, the court ordered that the offender’s name be formally entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders. Furthermore, the magistrate officially declared him unfit to possess any firearms.
