MUKONDENI – Mr Tshiphiri Stanford Khoza (31) of Mukondeni village will spend the next five years in jail. He was charged with rape and his case was finalised in the Venda High Court on Monday this week. The case is related to an incident that took place at Mukondeni village in the Tshitale area in September last year at about 16:00.

The court heard that on the day of the incident the victim was in the company of two friends. They were walking in the street. When they arrived next to the accused's kraal they saw the accused standing inside the yard of his house.

The accused called the victim and asked her to enter into his yard. When the victim asked him as to why he wanted her to enter into his premises, the accused stated that he wanted to give her some money so that he could buy him some popcorn from the nearby café.

When she entered into the house the accused grabbed her and pulled her into the bedroom. That is where he undressed her and raped her repeatedly before he let her go. The case was reported to the police later that evening and the accused was arrested the following morning.

The case was postponed several times in both the magistrate's and the regional courts before it was referred to the High Court. The accused was not given an option of a fine nor will he be considered for parole. The victim is an 11-year-old girl.