LIFE AND 20 YEARS FOR RAPE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
01 AUGUST 2025
LIFE AND 20 YEARS FOR RAPE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
The Dundee Regional Court has sentenced a 44-year-old man to life imprisonment and 20 years imprisonment for the rape and two counts of attempted murder he committed in April 2023. The accused and the complainant were in a love relationship, and they lived together at the complainant’s home.
On 08 April 2023, the complainant was outside the house washing clothes when the accused got into an argument with her. He punched her with a clenched fist and asked her to go inside the house. When inside, he hit her with a steel object on her stomach and chopped her with a bush knife on her head. She sustained serious injuries and spent the night at her mother-in-law’s homestead. She went to the hospital the next day, where she received stitches and treatment for her injuries, before returning home to the accused.
That night, as she slept, the accused tied her hands and feet together with a rope. He then brutally raped her multiple times. Thereafter, he strangled her with a belt until she lost consciousness. The accused kept the complainant in the house for some time. She managed to escape and went to the police station, where she reported the attempted murders only. She eventually divulged the rape to the prosecutor at court, during a consultation (when the docket had gone to court).
In the state’s case, Prosecutor Sonto Rebecca Sithole led the testimony of the complainant and the evidence of the medical doctor. The state also led the testimony of the Prosecutor, who was the first to report in respect of the rape. Ms. Sithole handed in a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) compiled by the complainant and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Victoria Griffiths. In her statement, the complainant said that she did not have any family, any family, and the accused was everything to her. However, on the day of the offence, he became a different person. She said that she had to undergo counselling due to the brutal rape and the demeaning acts that the accused made her perform.
The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and 10 years imprisonment for each of the two counts of attempted murder. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The NPA welcomes this successful prosecution. We remain committed to fighting the scourge of gender-based violence and will continue to pursue justice on behalf of the victims of crime.
Issued by:
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara
NPA Regional Spokesperson
KZN Division
071 6700 229