The Waterval Regional Court recently sentenced a police inspector to 15 years’ imprisonment for raping his 16-year-old niece.

Risimati Samuel Mashele (43) of the Tiyani SAPS was sentenced to 15 years behind bars without the option of paying a fine. Mashele, who was attached to the Hlanganani Police Station, was arrested in October 2008.

From what transpired in the court, it appears that Mashele was opposed to the relationship between his niece and another boy of her age, claiming and insisting that the girl was underage. According to the police information, Mashele, who is a resident of Tiyani village, followed his niece to her boyfriend´s place at the nearby Blinkwater Village in the Hlanganani area.

He picked her up from the boyfriend´s place, claiming that the girl was having an affair while still under aged. The police added that, somewhere in the bushy area between Rotterdam and Blinkwater, Mashele allegedly raped the girl.

After raping her, Mashele went home without the girl. It was further revealed that the girl, who managed to escape from the scene, then went home crying. Her parents later persuaded her to open a case of rape.