Eastern Cape child rapist sentenced to two life terms

A Port Elizabeth man has been sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for raping a friend’s teenage child in July 2019.

Amor van Greunen, 51, and his wife had befriended the young girl, who often spent weekends at their home.

The couple had also bought her clothes and a parent-child bond had formed between them, the Port Elizabeth Regional Court heard.

The girl, aged 15 at the time, had been staying with her younger brother and mother at a safe haven in Port Elizabeth when she met Van Greunen and his wife, who performed a lot of charity work for the haven.

The court heard how on July 26 2019, Van Greunen had fetched the girl from the safe haven for the weekend while his wife was out of town.

He then bought her alcohol and clothes and raped her twice between July 26 and July 27.

On July 27, the girl reported the incident to her teacher via a WhatsApp message.

The teacher immediately took the child to the Algoa Park police station, where a charge of rape was reported.

Van Greunen was arrested that same day.

Prosecutor Mxolisi Bebula argued that Van Greunen had been in a position of trust because a bond had been established between himself, the girl and her mother.

There were no substantial or compelling circumstances for the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life behind bars, Bebula said.

Handing down his sentence on Tuesday, magistrate Kenny Cooney said the victim had considered the Van Greunen’s home to be her “safe place”.

“When you raped her, all of that was taken away,” Cooney said.

The two life sentences will automatically run concurrently.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Livingstone Sakata said: “The National Prosecuting Authority appreciates the stiff sentence imposed by the magistrate.

“It sends a strong message that our courts do not tolerate the rape of children.

“We further appreciate the hard work of the prosecutor and the investigating team in this matter.”