Durban - A man has been jailed to 18 years for raping his brother's 5-year-old grandchild 5 years ago.

The man who was hiding in Free State was arrested in January this year, and was convicted and sentenced in the Madadeni Regional Court on Tuesday.

The 53-year-old man who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child raped the girl, who is now 10, in July 2013.

"The victim was at her homestead in Section 4, Madadeni, with her grandfather’s brother who approached her and raped her while her aunt and grandmother were not at home," said police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala.

"The victim reported the matter to her grandmother and the case of rape was opened at Madadeni police station. The docket was assigned to the Newcastle Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for further investigation,"