Man gets life for hitting girlfriend on the head with hammer then raping her

A Limpopo man has been sentenced to life imprisonment and another 25 years for hitting his former girlfriend on the head with a hammer and then raping her.

Aifheli Tshinavha, 41, was convicted and sentenced by the Louis Trichardt regional court for the “heartless” crime he committed in May last year. Tshinavha, from Ha-Magau village, had seen his former girlfriend walking back home after attending a stokvel when he dragged her to his house while threatening to kill her.

Once they arrived at his house, Tshinavha hit her on the head with a hammer and then raped her, said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi on Tuesday.

“The evidence given by the victim corroborated with her mother’s testimony and the J88 medical report that showed injuries caused by the assault. After the ordeal, she reported the matter to the police station and was taken to hospital,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.

The victim impact statement indicated how the survivor suffered trauma at the hands of Tshinavha.

State advocate Tshilidzi Rose Mugeri said the accused was a “heartless person” who showed no remorse for his crimes.

“She concluded by submitting that the court should send a clear message to would-be offenders that these offences are punished severely,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.

In handing down the sentence, magistrate Hailie Kellerman took note of the lack of remorse from Tshinavha and that “he did not care that we are fighting against gender-based violence and abuse of women and children in the country”.

Tshinavha was handed a life term, an additional 10 years for kidnapping and 15 years for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

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