LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR A RAPIST COUSIN
17 NOVEMBER 2025
LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR A RAPIST COUSIN
The Esikhawini Regional Court has sentenced a 35-year-old man to life imprisonment for the rape of a 5-year-old girl in the Mpembeni area in September 2023. The accused and the complainant were known to each other as they were cousins and neighbours.
On the day of the offence, the complainant returned home from school and went to the accused’s house to wait for her mother, who was out running some errands. Upon the complainant’s arrival, the accused’s mother left, leaving the complainant with the accused and some other children. The accused then took the complainant to a nearby rondavel where he raped her. When the complainant’s mother arrived at the accused’s house, the complainant ran to her and the mother asked her what had happened. After hearing what had happened, the complainant’s mother confronted the accused, but he denied the allegations. The complainant was taken to Ngwelezane Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), for medico-legal and psychosocial assistance. The accused was subsequently arrested at his homestead.
In court, Prosecutor Kamogelo Mahila Nkwatle, told the court that the accused showed no remorse for what he had done. He was in a position of trust as he was an older relative of the complainant, and was meant to protect her. Instead, he abused that trust. The state handed in a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) compiled by the complainant and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Ntombi Chonco. Therein, the complainant stated that before the incident, she was happy, but after the incident, she was sad all the time. In sentencing the accused, the court found him unsuitable to work with children and declared him unfit to possess a firearm. 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. Together with our partners in the justice cluster, we will pursue justice for the victims of crime.
Issued by:
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara
NPA Regional Spokesperson
KZN Division
071 6700 229