LIFE SENTENCES AND 160 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPIST OF THREE CHILD COUSINS

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentence imposed on 21-year-old Akhanya Makeleni by the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court, sitting in Bhisho.

 Makeleni received eight life sentences and a further 160 years’ imprisonment for offences including rape, sexual grooming and attempted murder involving his three pre-teen cousins.

Makeleni pleaded guilty to all 24 counts of sexual offences committed against the children between 2023 and 2025. The victims, who have a different surname from the accused, were aged between 10 and 12 at the time. They lived with him at their grandmother’s home in KwaMasele Location, near Qonce.

In his plea explanation, Makeleni admitted that on various occasions he made the children watch pornographic material on his cellphone to encourage or instruct them to perform sexual acts on him. He then raped them without using protection, despite knowing that he was born HIV-positive.

The abuse began during a traditional ceremony, when Makeleni raped one of the victims, then aged 12, in his grandmother’s bedroom. He also admitted to repeatedly raping another cousin, then aged 10, while she was living with him after he returned from Cape Town, where he had grown up. The rapes took place when she returned from school.

On New Year’s Day 2025, Makeleni raped each of the three children in turn in their grandmother’s bathroom after they returned from a trip to the beach. He threatened to kill them if they told anyone about the abuse.

One victim disclosed the abuse to her aunt after experiencing a painful, swollen abdomen. The other two children then also spoke about what had happened, leading to Makeleni’s arrest.

The court rejected Makeleni’s attempt to blame his drug use for his conduct. Judge Nozuko Mjali agreed with State Advocate Tanduxolo Soga that Makeleni had reconciled himself to the possibility that he could infect the children with HIV. The judge noted that the children tested negative, but that it was unclear whether they had been tested during the virus’s incubation period. The court also questioned the sincerity of Makeleni’s remorse and described his offending as that of a sexual predator and serial rapist.

Welcoming the sentence, Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Samkelo Mtwana said it sends a strong message that the NPA will relentlessly pursue justice for victims of sexual offences. He noted that the victims were particularly vulnerable because of their young age.

The NPA remains committed to holding perpetrators of sexual offences accountable, particularly those who target vulnerable people, and to ensuring that victims receive the justice they deserve.

Issued by:

Luxolo Tyali

NPA Regional Spokesperson

Eastern Cape Division