LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE OF A MINOR
14 NOVEMBER 2025
LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE OF A MINOR
The Scottburgh Regional Court has sentenced a 49-year-old man to life imprisonment for the rape of a minor girl in February 2023 in the Hlongwa area. The complainant was eight years old at the time, and she knew the accused. On the day of the incident, the complainant was walking home from school when she saw the accused. He dragged her into some bushes and raped her. Thereafter, he produced a knife and threatened to kill her if she told anyone what he had done. The complainant went home, and even though she saw her aunt and granny there, she remained silent.
A week later, the complainant and her mother were at a local tuckshop when the accused walked in. The complainant became hysterical and asked her mother if they could leave immediately. When they got home, the complainant was asked about her unusual behaviour, and she mentioned what the accused had done. The complainant’s mother then went back to the tuckshop, where she confronted and assaulted the accused. The accused ignored her. The complainant was taken to the Port Shepstone Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where she received medical assistance. The following day, the accused went to the police station to open a case against the complainant’s mother. He was arrested after the police realised that he was wanted for the rape case.
In court, Prosecutor Lindokuhle Gumede led the evidence of the complainant (via an intermediary), her mother, and the doctor from the TCC. The state also handed in a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the complainant’s mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer, Nokukhanya Mkhize. The mother has been traumatised by this incident to the extent that she does not sleep well at night and has resorted to taking sleeping pills. She said that the complainant experiences nightmares and has also performed poorly at school. She said that following the incident, the complainant is scared to walk to school, and they need to pay for school transport, which is costly.
In his case, the accused denied the offence and further denied knowing the complainant. The court rejected his version and found the complainant to be a reliable witness even though she was the sole witness to the offence. The accused was sentenced accordingly, and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court ordered that his name be entered into the National Registry for Sex Offenders, and he was found unsuitable to work with children.
The NPA’s fight against the scourge of sexual violence has been aided by the expansion of the TCC footprint across the country, which has grown from 55 TCCs in 2020/2021 to 66 TCCs at present. The TCCs provide comprehensive services and support to victims of sexual violence.
Issued by:
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara
NPA Regional Spokesperson
KZN Division
071 6700 229