Matshidiso Adam Kobe (30) was handed down a life sentence for raping an 11-year-old girl on two separate occations in February 2021. Kobe was sentenced by the Itsoseng Regional Court in the North West on Thursday.

Kobe's conviction emanates from an incident that occurred on 20 February 2021, at Verdwaal near Itsoseng, wherein the child was playing in a neighbour's yard, where the accused lived. National Prosecuting Authority North West spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, said that the accused then sent the girl to his shack to get cigarettes and subsequently followed her and raped her. "After the ordeal, he gave the child a cellphone and instructed her not to tell anyone about the incident. Evidence presented in court further revealed that the day after the incident, the child was again playing with a friend in the same yard and after the friend had left, he then sent the child to his shack where he followed her and raped her again. Later at home, the child's grandmother noticed strange behaviour as the child could not sit properly," he said. Mamothame said that upon enquiry, the child revealed both incidents and she was taken for medical examination where it was confirmed that she had been violated. "The matter was reported to the police, who arrested the accused on 22 February 2021. The court denied him bail and he pleaded not guilty to the offences," he said.

Mamothame said, "State prosecutor, Itumeleng Boikanyo, read the Victim Impact Statement which cited the mental, emotional and physical trauma caused by the incident to the victim. He urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment as there were no compelling circumstances to consider. Magistrate Ndade Maphango agreed with the state and remarked on the responsibility the courts have in imposing harsher sentences on perpetrators of such offences."