DOUBLE LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF A MINOR

10 JUNE 2025

DOUBLE LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF A MINOR

The Pietermaritzburg High Court (sitting in Port Shepstone) has sentenced Rogers Perumah (57) to two terms of life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in March 2024 in the Umkomaas area. Perumah and the child lived in the same area and were known to each other.

Perumah owned a pet dog which the child was fond of, and on 17 March 2024, the dog went missing and Perumah searched the neighbourhood for it. The child went with him in search of the dog. When they got to a bushy area, Perumah raped the child. He then assaulted her all over her body and strangled her before fleeing the scene. He was arrested the next day by community members, following the discovery of the child’s body.

In court, Advocate Mziwodumo Miza led the evidence of witnesses who saw Perumah walking with the child towards the direction where her body was found. Adv. Miza also led DNA evidence linking Perumah to the DNA material found on the child. In furtherance of the state’s case, a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) compiled by the child’s mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Beaufort Shinga was handed in to court. Therein, the woman said that she has difficulty sleeping and has lost trust in people. She mentioned that the child was bubbly and energetic and was her everything.

Perumah was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment each for the rape and murder. The court also ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. His application for leave to appeal against both convictions and sentences was subsequently refused.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the court's imposition of double life sentences for the accused convicted of the rape and murder of a minor. This sentence underscores the seriousness with which the justice system treats crimes against the most vulnerable members of our society. The NPA remains resolute in its pursuit of justice for victims of gender-based violence and child abuse and will continue to ensure that perpetrators of such heinous crimes are removed from society and face the harshest possible consequences. Justice has been served, and the rights and dignity of our children protected.
 

Issued by:

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara
NPA Regional Spokesperson
KZN Division
0716700229