A former South African National Defence Force (SANDF)official has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a 11-year-old girl in Tshwane. 54-year-old Fani Pehlelo Segole appeared at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where his sentence was handed down, said Lumka Mahanjana, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson.
Mahanjana said: “The rape incident took place in 2018 when Segole was living at Thaba Tshwane, where the mother of the child was renting accommodation. “On 12 March 2018, while the minor was conversing with her mother, she informed her that Segole had raped her earlier that year. The mother reported the matter to the police.
According to the NPA, the former SANDF official pled not guilty to the to the rape charge, but the Judge was convinced by the testimony which was given by the victim during trial. The child testified about how deeply the rape incident affected her and how this has affected her trust for men.
“Prosecutor Annelize Stiles asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment because not only was Segole seen as a leader in the community, but the children looked up to him as a father figure and he abused that relationship,” Mahanjana said.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi lauded the contribution that the Tshwane South African Police Serve (SAPS) made to this case, saying that he hopes this sentence will send a stern warning to the perpetrators of similar crimes.
Source: News24, The Citizen, The South African, image from The South African: Gallo images/Sharon Seretlo