DURBAN - MAN GETS LIFE BEHIND BARS FOR RAPE OF 2 YEAR OLD GIRL!

The mother of a 2-year-old girl who was allegedly turned away from a public hospital after being raped, says her trust in government institutions has been restored, praising police and the courts for the conviction of her child’s rapist.

The mother, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child, on Sunday said a weight had been lifted from her shoulders after the 29-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison by the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court last week.

The man, who cannot be named, had pleaded not guilty, which demonstrated a lack of remorse, said National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman, Natasha Kara.
According to court documents, the man and the child’s father – who was his close friend – had been drinking with other friends in Amaoti in Inanda on November 15 last year. The mother was at church and their daughter was sleeping in his room outside his home where a helper was watching over her.
After some time, the friend made an excuse to his friends, leaving them at the drinking hole while he went to his friend’s room and raped the sleeping toddler, leaving her in a pool of blood.

“The helper saw the accused leaving the house and proceeding to the tap nearby the house to wash hands, which had blood on it. When the helper entered the room she saw the complainant crying on the bed bleeding from her vagina and the bed was full of blood,” said Kara.
Upon raising the alarm, the child’s father came home, saw the horrific state his daughter was in and went to call on his friend to help look for the perpetrator.
He found his friend washing the clothes he had been wearing when they were drinking together, the water bloodied.

Realising it was in fact his friend who had violated his daughter, the father and other community members forced him to undress, revealing bloodied genitals.

“The police were called and the accused was arrested. DNA evidence linked the accused (to the rape),” said Kara, adding that the child had suffered serious physical injuries.
The child had allegedly been turned away from hospital and the parents told there was no doctor to treat or examine her.

They were instructed to come back two days later and not to wash the child, leaving the blood to dry and cake on her legs.

“This broke me,” said the mother. However, they had taken the child back on the assigned day and received treatment. “She is being treated at another hospital,” said the mother.
She, her husband, his mother and other family and community members had been in court when the sentence was handed down.

“I did not have the strength to go inside because even now, I cannot face him. I am still so angry and I don’t understand how a man my husband considered a friend could do this. He is a father too, he has a daughter.”
The 28-year-old mother said she was grateful justice had been served and the “animal” would spend his life in jail.
Despite the trauma, which still haunts her and her husband, she said she was grateful to God that they could now concentrate solely on their daughter’s healing.

She thanked the community of Amaoti, which had supported her and her family with testimony in the case. She was especially moved by the compassion of the investigating officer, Detective-Sergeant Zandile Khathi, who had gone far beyond the call of duty.

“She seemed to really care and would not only update us about the case, but would phone just to check on us. It was a real blessing to have her on this case,” said the mother.