A well-known educator-cum-soccer-club-boss in the Vhembe District stood motionless when Judge MM Snyman sentenced him to life imprisonment for rape in the Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou last week. The sentence was well received but with mixed reactions from different quarters of the community.

Khangale Khorommbi (51) an educator at Maebane Primary School outside Louis Trichardt, was standing trial for raping a minor at a school, after luring the child to a classroom in November 2007. He was found guilty of raping the 12-year-old girl. It was testified that Khorommbi ordered the victim to go to a Grade 7 classroom, where he tore off her panties before raping her. He was positively linked to the crime by DNA samples taken from the child and he had also confessed to the crime.

In sentencing Khorommbi, Judge Snyman said he was not fit to be outside where children would be in danger. He said there was an abuse of authority and trust on the part of Khorommbi. Judge Snyman also cited the safety of the victim, whom he said would never feel free if Khorommbi was to be seen roaming the streets and meeting her. He said it was necessary that the educator be put away where the victim could not see him. Snyman said the law was there to protect the children and justice should be seen to be prevailing.

It was testified that Khorommbi had a history of abusing children, more especially girls, who were put under his care. He had previously been redeployed to other schools after allegations of sexual abuse of children at the schools.

Reacting to the sentence, the chairperson of Munna Ndi Nnyi Men’s Forum, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, had mixed feelings. “The sentence is good as it matches the offence in question. The fact that the educator is regarded as a parent to the child warrants even a harsher sentence; the child trusted the educator, but he violated her,” he said. Mufunwaini said he was worried that those sentenced to life only spent a short time in jail and some were lucky to come back and continue where they left off. “We are having serious problems in villages where rapes are committed by parents and those parents never see their day in court as family members are afraid of losing support if the suspects are sent to jail. Please, let us all be united and fight this scourge of rape with all our might,” he said.

Mr Rendani Ligudu of the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme, an organization fighting for the rights of children and women, welcomed the punishment meted to the accused. “He deserves it and it should send a strong message out there that children are not sex objects who can be used when a person feels like doing it, “added Ligudu. Ligudu said it was sad to notice that people in positions of trust were tempted to use their authority in an unproductive way. “This will stop others from falling into such temptations and children will be able to live their lives freely,” he said.