Life in jail for man who raped 13-year-old girl in North West

Almost 12 years after he raped a 13-year-old girl, 31-year-old Tshiamo Godfrey Mmale has been sentenced to life in prison for his crime. 

Mmale was 19 when he committed the crime on October 16 2011 at Dinokana village, near Zeerust in the North West. 

Mmale confronted the child, who was returning home after being given permission by her mother to go out and have her hair done. 

“On her way back she was confronted by the accused, who forcefully dragged her to his place and assaulted her with open hands. On arrival at his place, he threatened her with a knife and proceeded to rape her before letting her go,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Henry Mamothame said. 

Though Mmale was arrested the following day, the case was provisionally struck off the roll to await the DNA test results, as he denied having sexual intercourse with the girl.

“The matter was re-enrolled in November 2015 after the DNA test results came back positive, at which point the accused changed his version of the story, saying he had consensual sexual intercourse with her,” Mamothame said. 

In addition, the Lehurutshe regional court sentenced Mmale to a further 12 months' imprisonment for assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

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