KEY POINTS
- Mandla Sipho Khoza was given a 75 year prison sentence for raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter.
- Because she did not report the abuse, the victim’s mother received a suspended prison sentence.
- Reports are required by law if crimes against children are known.
Khoza was handed three sentences of life imprisonment in the provincial court in Boschfontein for repeatedly raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter in June 2017.
A judge found the victim’s wife, who was 36, guilty of not reporting the abuse after being told about it.
Mother sentenced to jail suspension for suppressing information
Even with news of the sexual abuse, the girl’s mother directed her daughter not to say anything. Only once the aunt began to worry and formally reported it to the Schoemansdal police station did anything happen.
She will remain on probation in the community for five years after her sentence is suspended, as long as she does not commit another offense.
Officials urge individuals not to hide serious offenses
“Calling for quiet in the face of such criminality is a criminal act,” said Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi. He noted that not reporting rape could be treated the same way as the perpetrator’s crimes.
Another case reflects problems throughout the Nation
Earlier this year, a 40-year-old man in Bloemspruit stepfather sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his 16-year-old stepdaughter and passing on HIV to her. Because the victim was not diagnosed until later, the secret of this crime was not revealed.
