Rustenburg - A 32-year-old man was sentenced to two life terms for rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Photsaneng near Rustenburg in North West.
Calvin Khunwana was sentenced at the North West High Court sitting in Mogwase. He was further sentenced to five years for kidnapping and another five years for defeating the ends of justice.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the conviction stems from an incident that occurred on July 30 in 2020, at Photsaneng village, near Rustenburg, where a seven-old-girl was playing at her home with two friends.
Khunwana called the girl over to his yard which was back opposite the girl’s home.
“He then went with her inside the house and moments later her friends saw her trying to escape through the door, whereupon Khunwana apprehended her and chased her friends away, threatening to assault them before dragging the child back into the house.
“He went on to rape the child and subsequently strangled her and placed her lifeless body underneath a carpet in a storeroom,” NPA spokesperson in the North West division, Henry Mamothame said in a statement.
He said evidence in court indicated that Khunwana took a pair of his sneakers and tried to sell them to source transport fares to escape the village.
The child was later found in his home after her friends pointed out where she was last seen. Khunwana was arrested, and he remained in custody until the trial was concluded.
“In aggravation of sentence, Advocate Benny Kalakgosi argued that the accused was well known to the deceased and he took advantage of her trust as an elderly person.
“He further argued that the accused raped a minor and killed her gruesomely, urging the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence.
“Judge President Ronald Hendricks, agreed with the state that the accused abused the trust relationship between himself and the child and showed no remorse for his actions,” Mamothame said.
IOL