LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPIST
22 OCTOBER 2025
LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPIST
The KwaDukuza Regional Court has sentenced a 35-year-old man to life imprisonment for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in July 2022 in the Lindelani area. The accused, a Zimbabwean national who is illegally in South Africa, was sentenced to a further six months' imprisonment for contravening the Immigration Act.
The accused and the complainant’s mother were in a relationship, and the complainant went to live with them during the school holidays. It was then that she met the accused for the first time. On the night of the incident, the accused and the complainant’s mother went out drinking and returned home. They slept in the same bed as the complainant, and the accused removed his clothes before getting into bed. The complainant then saw the accused and her mother having sexual intercourse. At some point during the night, the complainant woke up to find the accused raping her. Even though she tried to wake up her mother for assistance, her mother was drunk and unresponsive.
The following day, the complainant wrote a letter to her cousin detailing the ordeal. The cousin informed other family members, and the accused and the complainant’s mother were confronted. The accused was arrested when the police arrived. The complainant was taken to the KwaDukuza Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where a medical examination confirmed that she had injuries consistent with being raped.
In court, Prosecutor Andile Makhanya handed in a Victim Impact Statement where the complainant said that she no longer trusts men. She said that she has a lot of internal anger and has attempted to commit suicide. She further mentioned that she was expelled from school and now resorts to smoking dagga to numb the pain and the trauma she has experienced. The accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court also found him unsuitable to work with children, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
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
0716700229