The Tshilwavhusiku Regional Court sentenced a 24-year-old man to an effective 15 years in jail, after he had raped a 15-year-old girl at Madombidzha village.

Mpfuni Thonga was sentenced on Thursday last week, following an incident on 27 September 2008 in the village.

Together with his already sentenced co-accused, Ambani Radzuma (22), the accused raped the girl inside a kiosk shack in the vicinity of Tshikwarani Senior Primary School.

During the trial, it was testified that Thonga and Radzuma, with other two friends, were on their way that night from a party in Zone 2, heading to Zone 1, when they met the girl. Thonga and Radzuma grabbed the girl, but the other two friends rebuked them, saying that they should leave the victim alone because she knew who they were. However, the two insisted on taking her with them, so they changed direction and commanded the girl to walk with them until they reached a place where there were many mufula trees and kiosk shacks.

Here, they threatened her with a knife and took turns raping her.

Thonga pleaded guilty to the charge of rape. Meanwhile, Radzuma had pleaded guilty during an earlier appearance and was sentenced to an effective 10-year jail term on 19 April (Limpopo Mirror, 27 April).

It was heard in court that the DNA samples taken from the victim matched those of Thonga. When Radzuma was sentenced after his trial, the court heard that Radzuma's DNA samples matched those taken from the victim. However, on Thursday, Thonga's legal representative, Adv Sikhwari, argued that since the complainant's testimony and that given by the first state witness, Radzuma, differed in some respects, it would be logical that Thonga be given a lenient sentence. He felt the court had to deviate from a maximum sentence of life imprisonment to a minimum prison term, which the court eventually did.

Thonga was visibly relieved and all smiles when he walked out of the dock into the cells. The court had declared him unfit to possess a firearm and his name was entered into the national register of sexual offenders.

Capt Danelle Fourie of the Makhado Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) expressed her satisfaction with the outcome of the case. "We are happy that the law has taken its course," said Fourie.