Judge Irma Schoeman described the rape of a baby when she sentenced Mzingisi Ntshontshi to Port Elizabeth High Court on Wednesday.
Ntshontshi was sentenced to life in prison after Schoeman could find no compelling and material circumstances to deviate from the minimum sentence for this charge.
According to her, Ntshontshi showed no remorse and his chances of rehabilitation were slim. “The first step to rehabilitation is to accept responsibility, the accused has not yet. He maintained his innocence throughout and even asked the court for mercy. But he showed no mercy to his victim and left her abandoned in the bushes. “
In sentencing, Schoeman also referred to the toddler’s injuries, which according to evidence will have a lasting impact on her.
During the hearing, the court heard how the bloodied child was found crying in the bushes near the settlement. According to the hospital’s report, she was raped vaginally and anal. She bled for about five hours after being found.
She then had to undergo urgent vaginal reconstruction surgery. In spite of the operation, she may, as an adult, experience pain during sexual intercourse, which may lead to relationship problems.
The rape occurred while her mother left her in the care of her caretaker’s sister while she was at work.
The regular caretaker was in Port Elizabeth that day, but because the child’s mother was well-acquainted with the family, she was left in the care of the caretaker’s sister.
Ntshontshi was the regular caretaker’s boyfriend.
The court also heard that he was a father figure to the toddler and that she sometimes called him “Daddy”.
The caretaker’s sister went to drink in a nearby area around 6am that day, while Ntshontshi stayed home with the baby.
When the sister returned at about 8am, Ntshontshi claimed the mother had fetched her child.
Community members only found the crying child in the bushes about eight hours later.
After it was determined that she had been raped, the community rebelled and assaulted Ntshontshi.
The convicted baby rapist, Mzingisi Ntshontshi, 49, of St. Francis Bay, was sentenced to life in the Bay High Court on Wednesday for raping the 19-month-old baby.
