Cape Town man jailed for 15 years for raping 11-year-old girl

A Cape Town man, Saadiq Rajap, 54, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl. The court heard the incidents took place on April 10, 2024. Rajap invited the victim's 13-year-old friend to play pool at his house after receiving permission from her grandmother. They traveled to Mitchells Plain Town Centre to buy a plug, but Rajap instructed the friend to enter the vehicle while he remained in the back of the taxi he was driving.

When the friend returned, Rajap moved back into the back of the taxi, touched the girl's breasts and then proceeded to touch her private parts, inserting his finger into her vagina. Rajap pleaded not guilty, claiming they had traveled to Strand Beach and that the girl willingly removed her clothes while seated in the back of the taxi.

He further claimed he accidentally touched the girl's breasts after tripping while entering the vehicle and asked her permission to touch her breasts and private parts, which she consented to. However, he admitted to touching the girl and acknowledged it was wrong for an adult to engage in sexual activity with a minor. The prosecutor argued that Rajap showed no remorse and his version was full of inconsistencies.

The court accepted the state's case and convicted Rajap, sentencing him to 15 years of direct imprisonment for rape with a five-year suspended sentence, and a five-year suspended sentence for sexual assault. Rajap's name has been entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and he is declared unfit to work with children or possess a firearm.