The Giyani Regional Court sentenced a 19-year-old man to ten years imprisonment, for raping a teenager last year.

The court heard that Michael Baloyi and a 21-year-old friend saw a 16-year-old girl coming from a local hair salon during the evening. The two followed her, grabbed and raped her at a local sports ground.

The teenager escaped and ran to the nearby bar lounge seeking for help. The following day, Giyani Police arrested Baloyi of Mageva village in Giyani, but his accomplice ran away. Baloyi has been on trial since last year.

Sentencing him, Magistrate Marianne Viljoen said the whole country is tired of women and children abuse. She added that the rape trauma will not vanish from the teen-ager’s mind, because of a young man who behaved like an animal. This verdict will send a clear message out there that men must respect women,” she said.

The spokesperson of the Giyani SAPS, Insp Magezi Makhubele, said they have also recently arrested a 21-year-old suspect, suspected to be Baloyi’s accomplice. The man, also from Mageva village, will appear in the Giyani Magistrate Court on October 12, facing a rape charge.

In his reaction to the incident, Mr Rendani Ligudu of the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme said since opening its doors in 2001 with a one stop Trauma Center, TVEP staff has assisted more than 120 rape and domestic violence survivors every month. About 58% of those assisted are children and 38% are under the age of 13.