Triple life sentences for KZN man who raped and killed seven-year-old niece

“If there was a death sentence, I would have been happy to see my granddaughter’s killer being hanged.”

This was the reaction of Fikile Hadebe, grandmother of seven-year-old Vuyisile Emihle Nyawose, who was raped twice and strangled to death on February 12 in Mtwalume on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.  

Hadebe was speaking after Pietermaritzburg high court judge Piet Bezuidenhout handed down three life sentences to Nkanyiso Radebe, 27, for the two counts of rape and murder of Nyawose.

She said the incident had tormented the family.

“This is a child that was very smart and had a bright future. We have robbed this precious soul,” said Hadebe.

Vuyisile was a grade 2 pupil at Esibanini Primary School.

Her maternal grandfather, Jerome Nyawose, said they welcomed the sentence, adding they were pleased the judge ruled the department of correctional services should consult the family if they consider granting parole to the accused.

“We would have a say on that. But for now we are happy that he is being imprisoned. We have endured a very torrid time. I know the child would never come back but we had pinned our hopes on the criminal getting a sentence suitable for the crimes,” he said.

The court heard that Radebe, who dropped out of school in grade 7, was a first offender. He was raised by an unemployed mother after his father died when he was seven. His mother was not in court.

“The community has been shaken by this. After the murder, the community was up in arms. They could not sleep and they banded together to make sure the culprit faced the music,” said Nyawose.

In his guilty plea, Radebe said after drinking the entire night, he had woken at 6am and continued drinking. At 10am he went to the child's home after her granny asked him to dig a pit toilet for her. His plea confirmed the girl was his niece, but he was not related to her grandmother.

“I worked at Nyawose’s home and the pick I was using broke. Nyawose’s grandmother said she will ask her neighbour to lend her a pick. I asked her to give me money to buy cigarettes while she spoke to her neighbour.

“She gave me R10 and I went to a tuck shop. Nyawose followed me. I bought cigarettes and matches. Nyawose bought airtime for her mother and chips,” said Radebe.

While walking back he told the girl they should take a different route which went through the bushes and the river. It was during that detour when he decided to rape her, twice, while she cried.

“Once I was done, Nyawose threatened to tell her grandmother,” he said. 

“I was scared she would report me and decided to kill her. I grabbed her and strangled her until she was lifeless. I left her and went back to her grandmother's house. I told her grandmother I left her on the way back from the shop and did not know where she was.”

It was the community which sprang into action by taking Radebe to the police station as he was the last person to have been seen with the girl.

Radebe said he was remorseful. 

His attorney, Amanda Hulley called for the sentence to be blended with a measure of mercy.

State prosecutor advocate Mbongeni Mthembu said Radebe had abused his position of trust by killing Vuyisile in the most “barbaric and gruesome” manner.

“I have no doubt the killing of the victim must have taken a lot of time,” said Mthembu, adding that such crimes had soared in the past 20 years, concluding that the sentences meted out by the courts were not a deterrent.”

Bezuidenhout said on reading the victim impact statement written by Vuyisile's mother and the grandmother it had become clear the incident had taken a heavy emotional toll on the family.

“It was traumatic for the two of them, especially as they have to live with this for the rest of their lives,” said Bezuidenhout.

He said while it was commendable that Radebe had pleaded guilty to all charges, the court had found there was nothing extraordinary in his personal circumstances which had been overshadowed by the offences he committed. 

He said the accused had killed the girl purely because she would report him to her grandmother

“You showed the deceased no mercy. There are no factors which allow me to deviate from the minimum sentences,” said Bezuidenhout.

He said the post-mortem had also shown the pain Vuyisile must have gone through as it detailed the lacerations to her organs.

“She was a young child and niece who trusted you. You used the trust for sexual gratification. You showed the deceased no mercy. These deeds are ghastly and shocking to the entire community.”

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