A former South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a 15-year-old.
Peace Mashile, 35, who was stationed at the Alexander Bay at the Inggreas Avenue Army Base in the Northern Cape, was sentenced by the Port Nolloth Regional Court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane said Mashile was stationed at the gate of the base and would normally see the victim going and coming back from school.
Senokoatsane said on the night of December 9, 2019, Mashile used the window to enter the bedroom where the victim was sleeping with her cousin.
“The victim woke up when she felt the cold hands of the accused touching her, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the accused on top of her. She tried to scream, but the accused covered her mouth with his hand. When the victim tried to remove his hand, the accused choked her until she could no longer resist. The accused proceeded to rape the victim next to her cousin who was sleeping next to her on the same bed,” said Senokoatsane.
After Mashile left, Senokoatsane said the victim immediately told her mother about the incident and explained what Mashile was wearing when the incident happened.
“The mother of the victim thought that she was having a nightmare when the cousin indicated that she did not feel anything while she was sleeping next to the victim. The mother let the victim sleep next to her until morning. In the morning, the victim reiterated what she said the previous night about the accused raping her,” explained Senokoatsane.
The victim’s mother went to Mashile’s room and found the clothes that her daughter had described and reported the matter to SANDF officials who wanted to deal with the matter internally, but the mother insisted that the case be reported to the police.
“DNA evidence recovered from the victim’s clothing conclusively linked the accused to the offence. At the commencement of the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty and attempted to advance a fabricated defence, which was rejected by the court following a thorough and credible prosecution,” added Senokoatsane
In aggravation of sentence, State prosecutor Basil Kock argued that Mashile was in a position of trust and violated the dignity of the victim, furthermore, he betrayed the trust of her family, his employer, and the broader society.
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