TSHILWAVHUSIKU – The Venda High Court sentenced two young men, Tshililo Thomas Nkuna (30) of Magau Village and Tshililo Ratshekani (30) of Maebane Village to life imprisonment on charges of rape last Thursday.

Nkuna raped a nine-year-old girl on August 8 last year at about 19:00. The court heard that during the night of the incident the victim went to the accused's kraal to ask for some relish. The accused and the victim are next-door neighbours. The accused was alone at home when the victim arrived.

The court also heard that the accused pulled the victim to the fowl shed, where he raped her repeatedly.He then ordered the victim not to tell the story to anybody, threatening to chop her neck off, before letting her go later in the night. Despite the death threats, the victim decided to share the news with her parents, who took the matter up with the police.

The accused was arrested a few days after the incident. He appeared several times in both the Tshilwavhusiku magistrate's court and the Thohoyandou Regional court, before the case was referred to the High Court.

The incident relating to Ratshekani's case took place at Maebane Village in the Kutama area, during the night of July 6 last year, when he raped an 11-year-old toddler.

The court heard that the victim's mother was away from home during the night of the incident. She left the victim with her (victim's) younger sister and brother in the care of Ratshekani. The court heard that the accused and the victim's mother were having a love affair during the time of the incident.

The accused raped the victim throughout the night, in the presence of her younger sister and brother. The victim told the story to her mother, who in turn reported the matter to the police.

* In the meantime, the Thohoyandou Regional Court sentenced Talukanyani Maphaha (25) of Gogobole village, to 15 years in jail last Thursday on a charge of rape.

This follows an incident that took place at Gogobole village in January last year, when Maphaha raped a 19-year-old woman. The victim was attending a night vigil at one of the local churches when the incident took place.

The accused got into the church building during the night. He grabbed the victim by the hand, after threatening to kill her if she made any noise.She was then pulled to the nearby bushes, where she was raped throughout the night.The case was postponed several times in the regional court, before it was finalised last Thursday.

The spokesperson of the police at Tshilwavhusiku Const Thilivhali Maloa praised the justice system, saying the sanctions will serve as a deterrent to the criminals to be.