Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa
16 July 2025
Sphamandla Dlamini (27) was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, by the Secunda Regional Court.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr.) Zeph Mkhwanazi has welcomed the sentencing of a child rapist.
The court heard a sad story involving a girl who was raped by the accused at the age of eight (08).
On 02 May 2022, the victim’s mother and father were in their bedroom watching TV. The mother then decided to go to the kitchen to make some food.
As she passed by her daughter’s bedroom, the mother noticed something unusual: the door was closed, although it was not the norm to close the bedroom door at that time of day. The mother became concerned and immediately pushed the door open.
It was during that time that she found the accused inside the room, and her daughter was half-naked. The father also rushed to the room after the girl’s mother screamed for help. The girl then broke her silence and narrated that she was raped by the accused on four occasions.
She further told her parents that the accused often told her that it was their little secret game and no one was supposed to know about it. After gathering facts concerning the rape of the minor, the parents informed the police, and the accused was arrested. He remained in custody throughout the trial until his sentencing to life imprisonment.
The court further declared the accused unfit to possess a firearm. The court ordered his name to be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. The accused’s particulars are to be included in Part B of the National Children Register. He was also declared unfit to work with children.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr.) Zeph Mkhwanazi also stated that the sentencing demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the SAPS and the judiciary to protect women and children, thereby bringing perpetrators to justice. “This sentence should send a strong message that the days are numbered for perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as they will be hunted down and be prosecuted just like the accused in this case,” said the general.
