Tebogo Msimanga |
The Taung Regional Court sentenced Ratiki Radebe (52), to life imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl from Kolong village, near Taung. The evidence presented in court revealed that Radebe, raped the victim several times between December 2020 and March 2021.
He is said to have worked at a cattle post near the victim’s home, and he would on various occasions request to charge his cell phone there. He would occasionally also give them milk at times, the victim’s ordeal was discovered when she spent a night at the accused place. She was later found next to a nearby river by a villager. She then reported her entire ordeal to her mother, and a rape case was reported.
North West NPA spokesperson Henry Mamothame said in mitigation, the accused said living with the knowledge that he took the virginity of the victim is punishment. “He further told the court that the victim approached him and requested to be his second wife. In aggravation of the sentence, Tecia Khula urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment”
Magistrate Bhuti Zulu, agreed with the state as he found no compelling circumstances to justify a deviation from imposing life imprisonment on Radebe.
