The De Aar Regional Court in the Northern Cape has sentenced a 56-year-old man to 115 years after he was found guilty on numerous charges, including rape, sexual assault and sexual grooming on Monday.

The man, who cannot be named to protect his victim, was arrested after a minor male victim, who was living with the accused, reported at school that he started experiencing sexually inappropriate behaviour from the accused. Northern Cape NPA spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the matter was immediately reported to the police and the accused was arrested in October 2021. "During his bail application in the Phillipstown District Court, the prosecution successfully opposed his bail application. After his arrest, the police began their investigations and they uncovered that there were several other victims and they were willing to come to the fore," Senokoatsane said. Police investigations revealed that the accused started sexually abusing boys as young as 11, in 1999. Over the years, numerous boys lived with the accused, and he sexually abused them over several years until his arrest in October 2021. The accused was charged with 18 counts of contravention of the Sex Offences Act 32 of 2007 which states that children who are 12 years or older but under the age of 16 years be protected from sexual exploitation by adults.

The accused charges include amongst others rape, compelled rape, sexual assault and possession of 734 images and 172 videos of child pornography.  "With all the evidence against the accused, he pleaded guilty to all 18 counts. The consultations with the victims and state witnesses led by State Advocate Tevaughnay Van Wyk working with the court preparation officer Sinazo Ndletyana, took about one year to complete. The prosecution encountered numerous challenges in trying to finalise this matter, one being that most of the children did not want to testify against the accused and this posed a hurdle in the prosecution of the matter," Senokoatsane added. The accused was sentenced to five years for indecent assault, 10 years for rape, 10 years for compelled rape, five years for sexual assault, 10 years for incitement to commit sexual offence, five years for sexual assault, five years for flashing, five years for instructing another to commit sexual offence, five years for compelled sexual assault, 10 years for rape, five years for causing a child to witness sexual act, five years for sexual assault, 10 years for compelled rape, five years for sexual assault and five years for possession of child pornographic images. The sentences are to run concurrently meaning the accused will serve 30 years imprisonment.